A School in Rural Assam Has Been Teaching Women About Menstrual Issues For Over A Decade
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In some parts of India, especially in rural areas, menstruation is still a taboo. People hesitate to talk about menstruation and the problems relating to it. Such a place is Pamohi village located on the outskirts of Guwahati, the capital of Assam. The village is like any other underdeveloped village in Guwahati, mostly inhabited by the Karbi tribe, where people do not openly talk about menstruation.
Now, things have changed over a past few months as the women there not only speak about pads and menstruation but have also started using reusable sanitary pads. All the change happened because of Uttam Teron and Aimoni Tumung of Parijat Academy who discussed the issues relating to menstrual hygiene in public gatherings and also distributed free reusable sanitary pads to the women in their neighbourhood.
Jonali Fangsho, who is in her late 20s and a resident of Pamohi village says, “It was very difficult to discuss menstruation at home and in the neighbourhood as women do not speak in front of male members even at home.” She also says that women in her village and neighbouring areas, mostly uneducated and poor, used clothes during their menstruation.
Parijat Academy is being run by Uttam and his wife Aimoni for more than a decade. It is a school for underprivileged children in Pamohi which also provides residential facility to underprivileged boys and girls. Besides, it also has a training centre, which teaches women, tailoring and making handicraft items.
Bringing such a change for both of them was not easy. Aimoni initiated by talking about menstrual issues to women who came to the school, after which they started discussing it in public. “It didn’t happen in a single day. But after seeing our involvement, men also came forward to talk about it.” Teron says.
According to the latest National Health Survey Report, among the women in the age group of 15 to 24 years in India, 42% use sanitary napkins, 62% use cloth and 16% use locally prepared napkins. Overall, 58% of women in this age group use a hygienic method of menstrual protection. Rehna Sultana, an activist and a research scholar at Gauhati University said that more than 70% of rural women still do not use sanitary pads, resulting in various diseases.
Girls after studying at Parijat Academy earn their livelihood by stitching these reusable pads. “We can stitch up to 30 pads every day,” one girl says. They earn up to Rs 3,000 a month.
“I’m happy about the warm response we have been getting from everybody since we started distributing reusable pads. But we need some financial assistance to reach the maximum number of girls and women in the backward areas.” Teron said.
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