Menstruation: it seems that the period of three to five days when girls between the ages of 11 and 14 begin to menstruate and continue till they reach the age of about 50, and menopause is something unique to human beings. Well, almost. Biologists say that apes, old-world monkeys, many bats, and even the spiny mouse menstruate. However, what these animals, unlike girls and women, experience in their menstrual cycles is that their bodies reabsorb the old womb lining rather than bleed it out. Alas, for girls and women, these monthly “periods” come with a variety of challenges – physical, psychological, and social. So, how can we help our women, especially our girl children, respond to this monthly experience in a healthy manner and in safe surroundings?
Girl children are uncomfortable and scared to discuss menstrual health. This response is not confined to India or to girls and women in poor or developing nations. Menstruation is considered both impure and sacred, and people across time and in different cultures have responded to these monthly periods in different ways. What we do know is that poor menstrual hygiene can lead to many issues, such as fungal or bacterial infections of the reproductive tract and the urinary tract. Irritation of the skin causes discomfort and can result in dermatitis – a medical condition in which the skin swells, turns red, and becomes sore with blisters. Knowing these challenges facing girls and women in India, Sewa International educates them on menstrual health and removes fears and doubts about menstruation.
In villages, women rarely discuss menstrual health. Girls are not offered information and do not know how and where to collect proper knowledge. They feel scared. Inappropriate and incorrect information as well as superstitious beliefs can lead both to physical and psychological debilitation. Sewa volunteers therefore travel to villages with sanitary and other relevant health products and create awareness using especially helpful videos. Dr. Sanjana, a gynecologist from Hubli, in the southern state of Karnataka, is happy to see such a program there.
Usually, schoolgirls are not completely aware of menstruation. They also do not know how to get their doubts clarified. Sex education in many Indian schools is either not offered or is done inefficiently and ineffectively. Therefore, Sewa’s awareness program benefits these girl children. They are informed of the use and the benefits of switching from disposable single-use pads, which are also expensive, to cloth pads that can be affordable and made locally, even at home. Sewa's women volunteers make them understand how this benefits the environment. They have also distributed cloth sanitary pads to girl students in the program. “We have reached the students for whom it was of utmost importance,” says Richa Handa, a social activist from Hubli. “These teenagers, once they grow and feature their children, must be confident roughly passing at the facts to the succeeding age group,” she says.
Dr. Jayanti Ramanan, Director of Sewa International’s “SHE Project for the Girl Child,” envisioned this project for girl children in 2018. Sewa has established a team for stitching these reusable cloth napkins, which are eco-friendly. Sewa volunteers conduct free tailoring classes to teach how to make these reusable napkins. Girl students and women have offered their thanks to Sewa for conducting this beneficial program in their towns and villages.
Sewa has distributed more than five thousand cloth napkins in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. It is planning to extend the project to many more Indian states too. According to a report, more than 23 million girl children drop out of school annually due to inadequate menstrual hygiene resources. “We have a much lengthier way to progress, and many more adolescent girls to attend,” says Dr. Jayanti Ramanan.
Sewa Rehabilitation and Rebuilding in Ankalagi
In Ankalagi, North Karnataka, Sewa International reconstructed a flood-affected school building. The rains in 2019 had come down heavily and caused a disaster. Floods damaged everything in their path, destroying houses, schools, farmland, and more. Flooding has led to the loss of life and damage to buildings and other structures, including bridges, sewage systems, roadways, and canals. Floods also harmed power transmission and power generation, which had knock-on effects caused by the loss of power. Sewa International, after the initial survey, identified the impacted schools. Ankalagi Boys School is one such flood-impacted school. Due to the floods caused in August 2019, the school had become dilapidated. The doors, windows, roof, and the floor of the classrooms were damaged, as water had risen to waist level.
Sewa got the necessary approval from the school management and started the work in the school. With the help of Sewa's "Rehabilitation Funds," volunteers and workers rebuilt the toilets, urinals, kitchens, floors, roofs, doors, and windows of the classrooms that the floods had destroyed. Sewa International views reconstruction and rehabilitation as developmental activities to be taken up in extreme conditions such as in the aftermath of disasters. Sewa's approach to such programs is positive with stress on building new socio-economic and physical structures.
"We are grateful for the service rendered by Sewa International, as this helped a lot to the kids and the staff of the school," said assistant teacher, M.V Rajput. "You identified our problem, and we appreciate your effort. We request you to continue giving service as it benefits many," said another teacher.
Floods due to incessant rains in 2019 disrupted the lives and crops across many states in India. Sewa International was involved in the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the flood-affected schools and homes in many parts of Maharashtra, Orissa, Bihar, and Karnataka.
In Lucknow, Toilets for Girl Children
Monica, a Sewa volunteer, works on the “Toilets and Hygiene Project for the Girl Child”. Sewa volunteers initially surveyed primary and upper primary schools. They shortlisted the schools with toilets in substandard condition or no toilets at all and began working on a plan to build toilets in such schools. During my school review appointments, adolescent girl students put forth their prerequisites of a silent, isolated place separate for toilet purposes, or they went home. If they could not find such places, they decided to quit school. They wasted much of their time searching for an isolated place behind a bush. They faced embarrassment every day due to the lack of toilets," Monica said. According to Monica, if the girl students did not find a secluded location, they simply went home. Once they reached home, returning to school would take more than an hour. So, the elders at home would not let them go back to school, as school was almost getting over for the day.
For adolescent girls, from the sixth to eighth grades, it is difficult to manage their monthly period without toilets. “They need clean and safe toilets. It is as simple as that," Monica says. In whichever schools Sewa has installed toilets, girls feel more comfortable. There is no need to skip school during their monthly periods. Even the parents of these girls are content as their children need not go out of school to relieve themselves. The toilet facility provided by Sewa has enabled these children to focus on their studies, as they can spend more time in school. They do not need to be absent from school, and they do not miss their studies. The best part is that they can fulfill their natural urges without delay, as the toilets are safe and covered. And most importantly, it is within the school premises. Earlier, the girl students and lady teachers avoided drinking water once they came to school for fear they would have to urinate and there would be no place for them to do so.
Every girl child feels happy about the clean and safe toilets. That every school should have toilets should not come as a surprise, but those local authorities had failed to ensure that is also a commentary on the poor governance in many rural areas or in low income areas and shanty towns in cities across the country. Sewa has installed twenty-two prefabricated steel toilets in twenty schools and renovated seven old toilets. More than twenty toilet renovations are in progress in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. In Agra, the construction of eleven new bio-toilets and ten restrooms are in progress. In Gorakhpur, Sewa has identified twenty schools for building new amenities and renovated seven toilets. In Varanasi, Sewa has installed thirty-two new toilets. Sewa has installed more than one hundred toilets in South India.
Google for Toilets: Some of North Karnataka’s Successful Projects
Sewa International partnered with Google to construct toilets under the “Toilets and Hygiene Project for the Girld Child” in Belgaum, in the Indian state of Karnataka. Belgaum, a large town, is 300 miles north of Bengaluru, the capital of the state. The school in Vadgaon, Belgaum, was identified by Sewa International for the construction of new toilets. The school offers education to some 1,500 children, from 7th to 12th grades. For these many children, the school had only six toilets and ten urinals. It caused a lot of inconvenience to both the children and their teachers. There are about 35 women teachers and 500 girl students in the school.
Due to the lack of toilets, they were facing many health issues. Lack of access to sanitation was a leading risk factor for infectious diseases, including cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, Hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. Sanitation is more than just toilets. It involves the facilities and performances that inhibit viruses caused by contact with human defecates. Sanitation denotes the etiquettes that can improve hygiene and lead to well-being.
After identifying the Vadgaon School, Sewa and Google procured the necessary materials to start the construction. Within the stipulated time, they constructed 25 toilets. The teachers and the girl students are happy to see the improvement in basic amenities in the school. Teachers are especially grateful that their girl students have access to these toilets in the rainy season, which is quite a long one in Belgaum. Earlier, their plight was bad. The headmistress of the school, V.P. Appajigol, said, "Toilets are essential for the well-being of all individuals, let alone kids. So are sanitation facilities and services to maintain hygiene. Open defecation had polluted the school environment and caused health issues and diseases. We are happy as Sewa International partnered with Google to provide us with the most required facilities for both boys and girls and the staff".
Skills Training and Job Opportunities in Pandemic Times
Life was simpler, predictable, and easier for many before the COVID-19 pandemic upturned the world. Millions lost their jobs overnight and had to struggle to find ways to get back to their villages and hometowns. After the initial chaos and fears, and as people returned home or tried to figure out what their next job would be, there began a new struggle, compounded by people falling sick. People started suffering from fever, breathlessness, coughs, dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, and fatigue. Many found that they had temporarily lost the ability to smell and taste. People with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease appeared more vulnerable.
Many lost a parent, a spouse, sibling, or child to Covid. But more people had to deal with the loss of their livelihood. Because of the lockdown, many did not have any income. It was difficult for laborers, cooks, and autorickshaws and taxi drivers to make a living. If the breadwinner lost his job or worse yet, passed away, the women in such families felt the brunt. They could not run their households anymore. Many people struggled for a long time alone without receiving help from the government or aid agencies. The pandemic posed an acute threat to the well-being of women, children, and families due to challenges related to social disruption such as financial insecurity, caregiving burden, and confinement-related stress.
Many women required money but did not know what job to do and how to earn it. Some of these families came to know about Sewa International through a random WhatsApp message that they had been forwarded. They began to call, and Sewa volunteers sprung to action. They informed the families about the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) schemes for employment. Sewa also began providing both skill development and job opportunities to these poverty-stricken women.
During those challenging times, Sewa was a ray of hope to several families. Sewa provided training and jobs. Some women learned the skill of stitching sanitary napkins, masks, etc. Instead of whiling away at home with pain and trauma, Sewa's initiative brought them together and they found both companionship as well as self-confidence.
At present, women are acquiring skills to earn a livelihood and support their families. These women offer their gratitude and thanks to Sewa for its timely support and its help in their darkest hour.
