Breaking the taboo

"We never had such in-depth knowledge about menstrual health or about physical and mental changes during the menstruation period. Sanitary napkins and other hygiene materials were not even accessible to us. Menstruation often caused being absent from the classes as well.", expressed Akhi, a high school student of Ghonirampur Boro Gola High School of Taraganj Upazila under Rangpur.

Menstrual hygiene management has become a growing public health concern in many underdeveloped and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. It is associated with several health and public health-related risks. Adolescent girls of Bangladesh face multi-layered challenges to maintain proper hygiene during their menstruation due to a lack of access to sanitary napkins and even safe spaces for changing sanitary napkins at schools and at home. Using low-quality sanitary materials like old cloths, and tissue paper, as well as the social taboos concerning menstrual hygiene management, plays a critical role in creating barriers for them. Lack of proper guidance and prevailing superstitions about menstruation, along with lack of proper facilities cause absenteeism of school-going girls during their days of menstruation. Many adolescent girls miss school during the menstrual cycle due to poor menstrual hygiene practices. But that scenario has totally changed now as they are getting information and support, said Akhi. "We have an adolescent corner in our school now that supplies us sanitary napkins and other materials needed during our menstruation. It also teaches us about menstrual health and our physical and mental changes during menstruation. We have sanitary napkins now and we are no more afraid to attend classes", Akhi added.

The project which lit the light on such care in that area is Joint Action for Nutrition Outcome (JANO), which is working to establish adolescent corners by following the adolescent health policy of the Government.

JANO is a consortium project implemented by Care Bangladesh, Plan International Bangladesh, and Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO). The project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation.

 "I brought sanitary napkins for my daughter for the very first time in my life when I came to know about the importance of adolescent health management and its importance in the life of my daughter.", said Md. Saiful Islam, a guardian who has two daughters.

"Before that, we had never spoken on menstruation publicly, but now the situation has changed, and our daughters can easily share their adolescent health issues with us", added the father who now realizes the importance of breaking the taboo to give a better life to their daughters.

Md. Hasanur Rahman Shohag, another father from Gangachara agreed with Saiful and shared the same thing.

Besides, JANO begins Gender Equity Movement in School (GEMS) sessions. Under this, every school has four teachers trained on GEMS curriculum who regularly conduct GEMS sessions at schools. These teachers are trained by the master trainers under the project.

In these GEMS sessions, adolescents learn about adolescent health-related issues such as menstruation, wet dreams, menstrual hygiene, personal hygiene, negative consequences of unhygienic menstrual management and food and nutrition during the menstrual period. "In these sessions, we are trying to create awareness among the girls so they can easily share information with nearby ones and us. Initially, they were shy to talk about the topics, but now they know about the importance very well and talk freely not only with us but also with their family members", said Mst. Alif Laila, a Senior Assistant Teacher and GEMS session teacher at Ghonirampur Boro Gola High School.

Thus, in so many ways, JANO is supporting Government's initiative to create a safe and good environment for the adolescents or the future of Bangladesh .