Page 38 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2021-22
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MENSTRUAL HYGIENE CHALLENGES FACED
MANAGEMENT – PHASE 1 • The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a sharp drop in
income levels among rural communities, prompting an
Phase 1 of the Trusts’ Menstrual Hygiene Management unwillingness to pay for basic services, such as water.
programme covered over 200,000 women and
adolescent girls across seven states. The programme
• Erratic rainfall due to climatic change has also impacted
addresses the social taboos and culture of silence
groundwater availability, with sources drying up fast and
surrounding the issue at a societal level, along with
in the absence of structured rainwater harvesting e orts,
health aspects linked to unhygienic menstrual practices
source sustainability will be a critical issue, going
resulting from a lack of awareness and resources at the
forward. Similarly, springs which are a major source of
community level. Phase 1 concluded in March 2022 and
water supply to hilly regions are drying up fast and
has been well received by various stakeholders,
including the government, local institutions, and most discharge in most of the central and western Himalayan
importantly, rural women. region has fallen rapidly. Given this scenario, both
climate mitigation and adaptation strategies need to be
IMPACT advocated among the local communities to enhance
95% of the women have been made aware about their resilience level.
menstruation being a biological process in areas of
intervention, compared with 50% in non-intervention
(controlled) areas.
65% of the women have shifted to using eco-friendly
reusable pads during periods in the intervention areas,
against just 20% in the controlled areas.
71% of the women in the intervention areas have started
changing their pads during their monthly cycle at least
three times a day, compared with only 13% of the
women in the non-intervention areas.
80% of women using reusable pads in the intervention
areas have started washing and drying it directly under
the sun, compared with just 10% practicing such
behaviour in the controlled areas.
83% of women appear to have become more
comfortable about discussing menstrual issues with
their family members post-intervention, compared with
36% in the controlled areas.
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