Periods in Nepal still has a stigma surrounding it despite being completely natural and normal around the Globe. In majority of the schools in Rural Nepal, many girls skip school for 4/5 days a month to avoid being harassed and for treated as untouchables. The girls are also unaware of their personal hygiene and “how to look after themselves during the menstrual period”.
In many parts of Nepal girls are still treated as something impure, dirty, contaminating and untouchables during the monthly periods. During this period girls are alienated from the family and society during their periods. They are imposed with social restrictions and face humiliation in front of their friends and peers.
Rotary club of The Himalayan Gurkhas has been working with Rotarian friends from Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom since 2011 in various initiatives. Besides computerization of schools, the Rotarians have been involved in educating the locals, addressing and minimize the problems, the schools’ girls were facing. The exercises have had good impression amongst the local women, schoolgirls and the local community.
Objectives: The Rotary Club of The Himalayan Gurkhas has had the following objectives:
- Focus on menstrual health related issues in the remote hills and try to overcome it.
- Educate and impart knowledge to the victims of decades long inhumane practices and empower the victims and potential victims.
- Improve access to menstrual health, appropriate sanitation, and hygiene facilities in the remote hill schools.
- Work with local Government, private sectors, and the well-wishers across the Globe to provide and improve supply chain of menstrual health products.
Girls Hygiene Kit distribution project:
With the generous donation received from Dame Joanna Lumley the Himalayan Gurkhas has established a girls Hygiene Kit distribution point and resource centre in the western hill village in Syangja. The Himalayan Gurkhas Rotary club choose a cluster of villages, named Panchamul Valley, in Syangja district in West Nepal as it’s project target area. With the money received from Dame Lumley the following has been achieved:
- Establish a small production centre where a trained lady worker prepares the girls hygiene kit.
- Establish a small Girls Hygiene Kit sell/distribution centre.
- Distribution of Girls Hygiene Kit to all 6 Secondary and one Lower Secondary school in Panchamul valley.
Total number of beneficiary Girls: 747 from 7 schools
Implementation of project. The project was implemented in two phases:
- Phase 1: The team visited several schools in Panchamul valley and distributed Girls hygiene kit. The project work was completed in 2 days.
- Phase 2: Team of four, led by Major Lilbahadur Gurung MBE , Mr Krishna Prasad Adhikari and Ms Sunita Adhikari and Driver Chandra Ghalan (Tamang) spent three days in the target area, visiting 4 secondary schools and one Lower Secondary school, spread across Panchamul valley.
- The team has also established a hygiene kits production workshop. A lady has been given 6 weeks sewing training and has started producing a girls’ hygiene kit.
- The team has also rented a small shop to keep produced hygiene kits in a resource centre from where the hygiene kits are sold to schoolgirls in a “give away” cost.
On behalf of hundreds of beneficiary girls and Rotary club of The Himalayan Gurkhas big thank you and sincere gratitude to Dame Joanna Lumley for her kind donation. Her kind gesture will be remembered by all the beneficiaries for many years to come.
