Gender Equality Nepal Project #43547

The 100% Project

by The Nepal Trust

Project Report | Jun 8, 2020
The lock down continues.

By Tony Sharpe | Project Leader

Young to old.

Dear friends and supporters.

Since our last report the Covid 19 pandemic has taken a grim hold in Nepal. New cases are expanding daily as the impact of economic migrants, trying to get back to their home villages in Nepal, takes hold. Stringent lock down rules have been imposed and schools closed. It is not possible for us to implement our project objectives at the present time. We have no idea for how long and hope that it will be relaxed soon without too much hardship and suffering. Life in the hills is tough at the best of times.

Following is a personal report giving the reasons why this project is so important for women and girls and the future prosperity of Nepal.It highlights the historical beliefs and the barriers that make change so difficult to achieve.

'Fourteen year old Indira's biggest fear is getting a stain on her clothes while on her period. 'Once, at school, when I found out there was a blood stain on my white skirt I tried to cover it by pouring blue ink on it, but my male classmates saw me and made fun of me. I was very embarrassed'. At home too she has never discussed menstruation issues with the male members of her family.

When she gets her period she subtly informs her mother who then informs her father and brother by saying she has become 'na chune' - basically untouchable for the duration of her menstrual period.

Menstruation continues to remain taboo throughout Nepal and not just in rural areas where Chhaupadi persists. Chhaupadi is the practice of banishing menstruating women to sheds to live in isolation. It has highly prevalent in the western districts , including where the Nepal Trust is working, despite being outlawed in 2005 and criminalised in 2017 and continues to kill women each year. Even in urban areas and educated households, social ostracisation in the form of na chune remains.

According to gender rights activists the primary reason why such outdated practices continue is because Nepal remains very much a patriarchal society. The male aversion to menstruation has to be addressed. Menstruation is rarely addressed by men so they lack knowledge and an understanding of the topic. It is a challenge for most boys and men to understand menstruation because of the secrecy surrounding it and the limited information they have access to, much of which can be very inaccurate. Since no one talks to boys and young men about menstruation they end up observing social practices at home and internalise the behaviour as normal. 'In reality, it is a form of violence against women'.

Even in school menstruation is not openly discussed and although there are lessons related to reproductive health and menstruation in the 8th Grade Health text book the topic is rarely discussed at length, with most teachers choosing to gloss over the subject due to their own embarrassment.

Dismantling deep-rooted practices such as Chhaupadi requires the active participation of men and their realisation that menstruation is a perfectly normal bodily function that leads to a healthy society and not one to be feared.'

These are the issues that need to be addressed before any real change is apparent. Once we get the all clear from lock down we will be working hard with our partners in Baglung district to educate men, boys and the old traditionalists to not fear what is a perfectly normal bodily function.

We are very grateful for your help and support and hope that you will continue with us. This is a big project that is trying to change a belief and a tradition that is deeprooted in society. The seed is there - we just need to water it!

Namaste

Mother and baby

Group of ladies

Girl washing her clothes

Growing up

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Feb 12, 2020
Empowering Girls and Women.

By Tony Sharpe | Project Leader

Banishing old prejudices.

Dear Friends and Supporters

The practice of Chhaupadi is rooted in very ancient beliefs; now illegal but very difficult to eradicate. When you live at the edge of survival these beliefs carry weight and the risk of the consequences is very real. The beliefs include, men will fall ill, crops will stop bearing fruit,cattle will stop producing milk and the Goddess of knowledge Saraswati will be very angry. Women are considered impure at this time and are not allowed to touch household items, men, cattle or crops. Usually banished to chhaupadi huts or similar they are subject to all sorts of physical damage including pneumonia, diarrhea, snakes and other wild animals, asphyxiation,rape and carbon monoxide poisoning. A study by Tribuvan Unversity recommended that girls be empowered with menstrual health knowledge, increase parental support and ensure a supportive school environment. This is the approach the Nepal Trust has adopted to work with our local partners in Baglung district.

Following is a case study provided by a young woman from one of the poorest communities in the district. It describes very accurately how women struggle to be on equal terms with men and particularly more so if they have physical problems as well. She is a pupil at a school for deaf children which is also supported by the Nepal Trust.

My Menstruation and disability not a Sin, Sanitary pad and incinerator made my better school life.

I am Manita, 19 years old, inhabitant of Jaljala Rural Municipality ward no 1. I am a student of Grade 12 in Dhaulagiri Deaf Residential School. I am deaf from birth but my father,mother and other family members were hearing persons.

My father was hearing farmer. I could not go to technical training due to the thinking of my father/ mother as deaf cannot learn and work for them. My daily life was to do work as serving buffaloes and goats as well cleaning in religious ceremonies. When I used to go to social ceremonies in different areas, they used to give foods in TAPARI (Plate made from leaves) as deaf are not human being. I had no dignity. I had no options except the feeling much humiliated and crying. My family also had misperception that I should bear these all to be free from the sin of the previous birth so that I can go to heaven, get back with all fit in next birth.

When the Dhaulagiri Deaf Residential School, Baglung was started in 2007, I knew that it was a school that enrols the deaf and supports for their development. With a lot of excitement and hopes, I started my study in this school. All the things were nice, but I felt very uneasy when my menstruation started since class 6. The main cause of this was there was no proper management system of sanitary pad in school. My colleague started to tease me due to blood drops in sitting benches during the period that resulted in me being absent for 3-4 days in a month. On the one hand, I had no money to purchase readymade pads. On another hand, there was no pad disposal system in school.

In 2015, School Management Committee in leading role of Mr. K. B. Ranamagar (Founder of school) constructed the incinerator connected with girl toilets. This overcome the problem of disposal system. Sometimes I used the disposal pads and throw into the incinerator. This was very easier. Many of my friends use this but I can not use disposal pads forever because of poor economic condition of my parents. My situation was almost same as before even there was an incinerator.

When DIRDC Baglung started the tailoring training for deaf students in 2017, I joined the training and I learned to prepare the washable pads and cleaning methods. Nowadays I can prepare the washable pad with sewing machine as well as manually. Now I have 8 pairs of sanitary pads so that I have no problems to attend the class regularly.

I feel a lot more confident and happier that I don't have to be absent in school due to the lacking of sanitary pads. My father, mother, sister, teachers and other relatives are exciting seeing my progress as same as a hearing person. This is our best pleasure in my life.

Now, I am starting to ask my community and society that there is no sin associated with menstruation, but the sin is into our mind and in the ways of thinking.

Namaste.

120 schools in Baglung district

An exciting new future.

Sanitary pad manufacture.

A Little Doctors health programme.

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