Dipa Rani Das and Sadia Akter come from different backgrounds and experiences, but both share a common need for access to proper menstrual hygiene products and education. Dipa (16 yrs), who lives in Netrokona, had always struggled with managing her menstrual hygiene, but it became even more challenging during the flash flood when her house got flooded, and she had to stay in a shelter without any proper sanitation facilities. As a result, managing her menstruation became difficult, and she had to rely on clothes to manage her period, but the unhygienic conditions of the shelter made it hard to clean and change them.
After receiving the menstrual hygiene management kit, not only have these menstrual health products helped me to maintain hygiene, I feel safe when I walk around or go to school. When I used to wear clothes, I was always nervous about getting stains and that lacked my confidence a lot. Dipa says.
The kit that Dipa received was one of the 3000 distributed kits in Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Netrokona as a joint effort by UNFPA and United Nations CERF.
On the other hand, Sadia Akter (14 yrs) was another recipient of the kit. Like many other girls in Bangladesh, Sadia missed school during her period days due to a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products.
I used to feel embarrassed going to school when I was on my period. I missed school because I didn't have any sanitary pads. She shared
Sadia had never been taught how to manage her menstrual hygiene, which had always been a source of discomfort and embarrassment for her. However, after receiving the kit and attending awareness training provided by 120 youth leaders, she had a newfound confidence.
I have learned how and why we should use sanitary pads to be healthy. I hope to continue this practice in the future as well. Sadia says.
The MHM kits also contained the contact information of the UNFPA-supported Alapon helpline, providing young people around the country with remote counseling and reliable information related to their mental and physical well-being.
The stories of both Dipa and Sadia demonstrate the diverse needs of women when it comes to menstrual hygiene management and by providing menstrual hygiene kits and awareness training to girls and women, our efforts have taken a significant step towards ensuring that every girl and woman can manage their menstruation with dignity and respect in Bangladesh.
