Shattering Menstrual Shame in Nepal

Thank you for your continued support of menstrual equity for women and girls in Nepal. Using your funds, our Days for Girls Nepal (DfGN) team is continuing to provide the tools women and girls need to handle their periods with dignity. Likewise, DfGN is providing robust training to community leaders, social entrepreneurs, and Ambassadors of Women’s Health (AWH) leaders who will now serve as advocates for women’s health and female empowerment in their communities. 

The following is just a snapshot of the incredible strides made by DfGN in November and December 2021.

• 20 community leaders from Kailali attended a meeting led by DfGN to discuss ways to support girls education, provide menstrual health (MH) training and menstrual kit distributions, and end the dangerous Chhaupadi culture (the tradition of relegating females to sheds during menstruation).
• In the Godawari Municipality, two local residents were selected and then participated in AWH training. These two leaders are now certified to teach AWH courses to local women and girls. We anticipate their influence will be felt in their community for many years as they serve as leaders and trainers of menstrual equity. 
• Led by the newly trained AWH leaders, 354 women and girls participated in distributions of menstrual kits, Covid masks, and received vital health education. They will now be able to make informed decisions about their health. Parents were also taught how to support their daughters and learned about the dangerous superstitions surrounding menstruation and pregnancy. Of these meetings, DfG Nepal Country Director Maya Kaitu wrote, “What allowed these sessions to be memorable was the emphasis put on the beauty of being female. Trainers were regularly emphasizing language to encourage participants to feel good about being a girl or a woman. While interacting with participants the stigma around menstruation being impure was consistently brought up and consistently deconstructed. Our trainers encouraged participants to feel good about their periods, to understand that without menstruating human life would be nonexistent.”
• 162 men and boys in the Godawari Municipality participated in Men Who Know training. They were taught how to support the women and girls in their lives, the process of menstruation, male and female reproductive systems, hygiene, and why they should end the practice of Chhaupadi. 

Thank you for making it possible for DfG Nepal to do this life-changing work. Together, we will ensure that menstrual dignity exists for Every girl. Everywhere. Period.