BHUBANESWAR: Bada Didi (elder sister), the group of tribal women spreading awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene in tribal-dominated Malkangiri district, have now included men in their group. They are also spreading their activities to more areas like women’s colleges and boys’ school and including boys from classes VIII to X in their counselling sessions.
“Boys often make fun, comment or start gossiping if they find a girl has a stain in her clothes during the monthly cycle. We felt educating them would help change their perception,” said Jayanti Buruda, one of the volunteers. Initially reluctant, the shy teenage boys started interacting with the volunteers after sustained efforts.
Currently, the Bada Didi group has 60 volunteers, including six men, compared to the initial 25 women drawn from Koya, Bhumia, Kui Kandha, Paraja and Bonda (a particularly vulnerable tribal group) tribes. Out of them, 20 move throughout the district while the rest organise and participate in programmes in local areas.
Chandrasekhar Pujari (32), a non-tribal and private school teacher in Malkangiri, who is part of Bada Didi, feels men should not shy away from broaching the topic in public. “I stage street plays as well as counsel both boys and girls. I have participated in the campaign because I wanted to do something for society. Menstrual hygiene is a major health issue and we should not shy away from it,” Pujari said.
Though older women in the village try to stop him from speaking on a topic that is considered taboo, it does not dampen his zeal. Instead, he convinces them about the importance of the campaign.
Similarly, Arun Kumar Duruka (35), a yoga teacher speaks to the girls about how yoga can reduce menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual syndromes. “If I don’t discuss, then my skill and knowledge will be confined to me. Now I utilise it for the betterment of others,” said Duruka.
Among tribes, it is a common practice to lodge the menstruating girls in a separate hut for seven days. They are only allowed to come home at night and sleep on the verandah while other family members sleep inside the house. They are not allowed to meet male family members as menstrual blood is considered impure by the tribals, who are completely unaware of the scientific reason and child-bearing connect.
Maintenance of hygiene is another big issue. The girls mostly use cloth that are neither properly washed nor sun-dried for disinfection. In some parts like the Swabhiman Anchal, sunlight doesn’t reach the ground, as it is heavily forested. The girls usually hide their menstrual cloth under other clothes to dry those inside the hut. This increases the chances of infection. The volunteers teach them about cleanliness during menstruation, use of sanitary pads and their proper disposal as well as approach Asha and anganwadi workers for sanitary napkins.
The Bada Didi group now wants to focus on the famed Bonda Ghati or Bonda hills and Tulasi Pahada in Maithili block, where around 200 families live. They will have to trek 8-10 km on a forested road for around 10 hours to reach Tulasi Pahada. “They have no idea about hygiene and sanitary pads. Also as the seasonal streams will dry up in summer and there are no tube wells, maintaining hygiene will be a major issue for them,” said Buruda, who has visited the area.
The group also wants to spread its activities to Padia block from the earlier Korukonda, Maithili and Khairiput and increase its presence in Khairiput. As the tribals are more compatible with cloth pad, they want to install a cloth pad-making machine in Malkangiri. “We have learnt about cloth-pad stitching in an online training programme. The machine would cost us Rs 45,000 and we don’t have funds for it,” said Buruda, who and the other volunteers bear all expenses from their own pockets.
“Boys often make fun, comment or start gossiping if they find a girl has a stain in her clothes during the monthly cycle. We felt educating them would help change their perception,” said Jayanti Buruda, one of the volunteers. Initially reluctant, the shy teenage boys started interacting with the volunteers after sustained efforts.
Currently, the Bada Didi group has 60 volunteers, including six men, compared to the initial 25 women drawn from Koya, Bhumia, Kui Kandha, Paraja and Bonda (a particularly vulnerable tribal group) tribes. Out of them, 20 move throughout the district while the rest organise and participate in programmes in local areas.
Chandrasekhar Pujari (32), a non-tribal and private school teacher in Malkangiri, who is part of Bada Didi, feels men should not shy away from broaching the topic in public. “I stage street plays as well as counsel both boys and girls. I have participated in the campaign because I wanted to do something for society. Menstrual hygiene is a major health issue and we should not shy away from it,” Pujari said.
Though older women in the village try to stop him from speaking on a topic that is considered taboo, it does not dampen his zeal. Instead, he convinces them about the importance of the campaign.
Similarly, Arun Kumar Duruka (35), a yoga teacher speaks to the girls about how yoga can reduce menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual syndromes. “If I don’t discuss, then my skill and knowledge will be confined to me. Now I utilise it for the betterment of others,” said Duruka.
Among tribes, it is a common practice to lodge the menstruating girls in a separate hut for seven days. They are only allowed to come home at night and sleep on the verandah while other family members sleep inside the house. They are not allowed to meet male family members as menstrual blood is considered impure by the tribals, who are completely unaware of the scientific reason and child-bearing connect.
Maintenance of hygiene is another big issue. The girls mostly use cloth that are neither properly washed nor sun-dried for disinfection. In some parts like the Swabhiman Anchal, sunlight doesn’t reach the ground, as it is heavily forested. The girls usually hide their menstrual cloth under other clothes to dry those inside the hut. This increases the chances of infection. The volunteers teach them about cleanliness during menstruation, use of sanitary pads and their proper disposal as well as approach Asha and anganwadi workers for sanitary napkins.
The Bada Didi group now wants to focus on the famed Bonda Ghati or Bonda hills and Tulasi Pahada in Maithili block, where around 200 families live. They will have to trek 8-10 km on a forested road for around 10 hours to reach Tulasi Pahada. “They have no idea about hygiene and sanitary pads. Also as the seasonal streams will dry up in summer and there are no tube wells, maintaining hygiene will be a major issue for them,” said Buruda, who has visited the area.
The group also wants to spread its activities to Padia block from the earlier Korukonda, Maithili and Khairiput and increase its presence in Khairiput. As the tribals are more compatible with cloth pad, they want to install a cloth pad-making machine in Malkangiri. “We have learnt about cloth-pad stitching in an online training programme. The machine would cost us Rs 45,000 and we don’t have funds for it,” said Buruda, who and the other volunteers bear all expenses from their own pockets.