Over 6000 attended RVWRMP's Menstruation Hygiene Day 2019 activities
Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM). It was initiated by the German-based NGO WASH United in 2014 and aims to benefit women and girls worldwide. The 28th was selected to acknowledge that 28 days. The Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28 has been celebrating every year since 2014. The day has been celebrating in Nepal as well since 2014.
Most of the women and girls feel ashamed during their periods and hesitate to talk about it with anyone. In order to secure the health and hygiene of girls and women during the periods, this day is celebrated to encourage everyone to start the conversation about the menstruation.
Menstruation Hygiene Day (MHD) 2019 with the theme of “It’s Time for Action” (मर्यादित मदिनयवयर ीः अब त कयम थयलौं}) was also celebrated in Nepal with varies activities by various governmental and non-governmental organizations. The name of Menstrual Hygiene Day was modified with “National Dignified Menstruation Day”, however it has been known as Menstrual Hygiene Day at local level.
In order to ensure inclusive and equitable development through water resources management, RVWRMP implements Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) as a cross cutting theme in all actions. The project strives to ensure meaningful participation of women in all events, and access to opportunities for women and socially excluded groups in all development initiatives.
Menstruation based discriminations are being barriers to achieve the goal set out by the project in GESI regard. Among the various harmful practices on menstruation based discrimination, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is one of the important issues which is connected to health and hygiene of women and girls.
In order to talk about the dignified menstruation management breaking the silence, RVWRMP facilitated the MHD celebration at its working areas since the beginning. In this line the Project made its effort to celebrate MHD 2019. In addition, the project also collaborated for an event in the national level i.e. cycle rally in Kathmandu with the message of menstrual health and hygiene management. MHD activities in the Project working area were conducted at school and community level. Rally with slogans, mass meeting, MHM Deuda song, interaction programme in school, ward and RM level, speech, role play, quiz, poem and essay competition, street drama, IEC materials distribution, MHM class in the school, jingle airing through local radios, cultural programme, pad demonstration and distribution etc. were major activities of the day. Active involvement of elected representatives of Rural Municipalities and Municipalities, FCHVs, schools (students and teachers) and other stakeholders was remarkable.
The list of the specific events and activities of the day in each Project working District can be found here. Total more than 6000 participants attended the RVWRMP facilitated events.
