Menstrual Health, Feminine Hygiene & Reproductive Health are under-discussed topics that people shy away from. If it’s not discussed properly, will lack of awareness & education might result in serious Reproductive Health issues in girls & women from infections that could lead to Reproductive & Sexual Health diseases.

Most importantly, these days, girls & women are using ‘Disposable-Pad’, which has many cons & few pros and on other hand, there are options for using Home-Made ‘Reusable Sanitary-Pad’, which comparatively better pros than ‘Disposable-Pad’, (reduce plastic use, helps reduce carbon-footprint, helps saving money in long-term, avoids rashes & infections, pads are free from toxins & harming chemicals, uses biodegradable materials).

To discuss the possible health issues & healthier/better practices, Sahayatri Foundation brought this ‘Pad-A-Girl’ initiative for the Right-Age-Girl (students) atTwo-Schools (Shree Gokarna Secondary School & Shree Okhreni Secondary School) inGokarneshwor Municipality, Kathmandu, with the following Objectives:

1. Making aware adolescent Girl-Students on ‘Menstrual Hygiene’,
2. Increasing access to & use of better quality ‘Reusable Sanitary-Pad’ to adolescent girl students in schools & communities,
3. Ensuring the safe disposal of ‘Sanitary-Pad’ in an environmentally friendly & healthy manner,

Sahayatri Foundation targets to reach 200 Girl-Students this Academic Session (2022/2023), from mentioned Two Secondary Schools, and by the end of November 2022, Two-Sessions (with Reusable Sanitary-Pad distribution, to participating Adolescent-Girl Students) have happened on the following dates:

1. On 15^th November/2022, at Shree Gokarna Secondary School (Gokarneshwor Municipality, Ward Number-4, Pati-Chaur, Kathmandu) and 55 Girl-Students participated from grades 6 & 7 and each of them received ‘Reusable Sanitary-Pad’ &
2. On 17^th November/2022, at Shree Okhreni Secondary School (Gokarneshwor Municipality, Ward Number-1, Sunari-Ghat, Kathmandu) and 39 Girl-Students participated from grades 7 & 8 and each of them received ‘Reusable Sanitary-Pad’

Mr. Harry Ruffell (from the UK), an Int’l Volunteer for Sahayatri Foundation, volunteered as Education Volunteer (in Two Community Schools of Gokarneshwor Municipality, Ward Number 1 and 4, called Shree Okhreni Secondary School and Shree Gokarna Secondary School respectively) with following Two Main Objectives:

1. Helping students in improving their English Language Skills (Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking) and
2. Supporting English Subject teachers in building, improving& brushing up their classroom English Language Teaching Skills.

To contribute to the mentioned objectives, he runs different indoor & outdoor and big group & small group English Language sessions & activities with students (to help to make better their English Language Skills), along with respective class English Subject teachers (to support them in building, improving & brushing up their skills of teaching the English Language in the classroom). Harry Ruffell volunteered for almost Two Weeks (between 3rd and 24th November 2022), out of his days in Nepal.