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mothers about menstruation, the choice of
products to handle menstruation and adoption
of improved practices. The Tata Trusts, through
these sessions, also aims to create a trickle-down
effect, where peer educators can be created within
schools. These peer educators can help take the
MHM conversation forward with other young
girls, if needed.
Tata Trusts ‘Happy Period Room’ concept is
one such measure used to engage with the school-
going population. The Happy Period Room provides
a safe place for girls to access MHM products,
ensure privacy to change their pads, and avail
improved access to water and sanitation facilities.

advoCaCy WiTH CoMMuniTy and
governMenT Bodies

The sustainability of the MHM programme hinges
heavily on the support and involvement of key
stakeholders. At the community level, it is approval
of the gram panchayats and village elders and
are conducted by the Tata Trusts’ subject experts school authorities (see box 8). At the government
in the classrooms. To break the ice with school level, it calls for engagement with multiple
children, female teachers are engaged to help build ministries and departments (Health & Family
an introduction. These school sessions focus on Welfare, Women & Child Development, Water &
creating awareness, addressing myths and taboos, Sanitation, Rural Development, and Education).
and providing knowledge on menstruation to girls. It also calls for sustained behaviour change at
The desired, actionable outcome of these the individual, household and societal level. The
sessions is to encourage girls to speak to their MHM programme has embedded behaviour change

Taking MHM to girls’ schools

Gujarat has a total of 240 KGBVs established under Samagra Shiksha at present. The Tata Water Mission
team extended the MHM programme to Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), which falls under
the Education Department, to cover the adolescent girls enrolled in 25 KGBVs in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir,
Somnath, Junagadh and Dahod.
In the next phase, the Tata Water Mission Gujarat team will impart training on menstrual hygiene to
staff members from each of the 25 KGBVs. These trained staff will in turn teach adolescent girls in their
schools about the proper practices for menstrual health.

(The KGBV scheme was launched by the Government of India in August 2004 for setting up residential schools at an
upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward class, and
8 minorities in difficult areas. The scheme was merged with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in 2007. With the RTE Act, 2009,
coming into force (with effect from 1st April 2010) and the Sarva Shiksha Framework of implementation being revised
to correspond to the RTE Act, the KGBV component of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is also being implemented in the overall
context of child rights and child entitlements and in harmony with the spirit and stipulations of the Act.)

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