A staggering 30 percent of all school-going girls in Nepal miss regular classes during their menstruation. According to UNICEF, up to 95 percent of the girls in the mid and far-western regions face some kind of discrimination from their families during menstruation. Of these, 44 percent are made to observe the age-old practice of chaupadi which involves, among other things, not touching other men and living in a shed at a safe distance from the main house. There is simply no question of attending school for these girls. But even if they wanted to go to school during their monthly menstruation cycle, they wouldn't be able to. Most schools in rural areas in Nepal, both private and public, don't have proper cleaning and washing facilities for girls, which they desperately need during that time of the month. It is a shame that despite the billions being spent in our public schools every year, they lack even rudimentary facilities for girls. But before we get to the question of privacy for girls, we need to first ensure that they have sanitary pads.Until even a decade ago, most Nepali women used old clothes as substitutes for sanitary pads. While in urban areas most women have started using sanitary pads these days, in most rural areas the practice of making do with old clothes continues. This is both inconvenient and unhygienic for women. For young girls who have to sit for hours on their school benches, the use of such clothes is even more problematic. This is why most of them choose to stay home during their periods. Thankfully, things are starting to change. There are now pilot projects underway to spread the use of 'sajilo napkins' in rural areas. These are comfortable hand-woven sanitary napkins made of clothes that don't need to be changed frequently. In other places like Somnath Higher Secondary School in Nawalparasi district, other novel approaches are being tried. The school, with the help of its students, has recently started a special fund with a monthly pot of Rs 5,000 so that girls in the school can buy sanitary napkins during their periods and don't have to miss classes.
The intervention at Somnath School is simple and yet highly effective. One, by making all students contribute a few rupees to the cause, the initiative increases their awareness of the unique needs of menstruating girls. This helps lessen the stigma that is still attached to menstruation in most of rural Nepal. Two, and more obviously, it lifts the financial burden on poor families of girl students; many families can't even spare a few hundred rupees from their meager monthly budgets. We would like to see this initiative, which has already spread to other schools in Nawalparasi, expanded right across the country. Nepal's development experience has shown that such local ideas are more effective than the ones imposed by even well-meaning donors. The girl students of Somnath School these days say they, as a result of the sanitary pad initiative, feel more comfortable discussing menstruation and other women-related issues. There can be no better way to empower our women than by giving them the confidence to speak honestly and openly about their problems.
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