Page 38 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2021-22
P. 38

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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