BVHA

Under the programme, BVHA promotes menstrual hygiene management in the two districts of Bihar- Munger and Bhagalpur. This is done mainly in the three main areas of Networking; Support; and Liaising & Advocacy. BVHA along with their network partners spread awareness about menstrual hygiene through direct activities such as audio-video shows and indirect activities such as information on wheel and street plays.

Step 1: Training and capacity building of PRI’s and health workers

BVHA operates by actively involving its local and network partners in each of the districts to recruit the field staff. The field staff provides training and conducts small group meetings and activities with men and women in the villages. These network partners are often local NGOs who help in recruiting the field staff for BVHA. BVHA further liaisons with government to conduct training programs for local governance institutions like school management committees, PRIs and community health workers.

Following are the agendas discussed during the training programs for the above mentioned stakeholders:

1)     Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): BVHA approaches the members of the PRI to be a part of this program as they are the key decision makers and influential leaders of the community. Issues discussed include:

• WASH infrastructure in the community
• Socio-cultural beliefs and taboos surrounding menstruation
• Girls’ parents, school committees and health teachers understanding and knowledge of menstruation
• Girls Interpersonal relationships and psycho-social support
• Current menstrual hygiene practices in schools

Recommendations for better menstrual hygiene management.

It has been observed that men often shy away from attending such meetings. Hence, leaders from the community like ward members, mukhyas, sarpanch, school management committee chief, ASHA workers, etc. are approached to engage men to talk about the importance of sanitation and hygienic menstrual practices.

2)     Health Workers: ASHA, ANM and Aanganwadi workers comprise the Health workers at the village level. A one-day capacity building and training is given to these women wherein discussions on menstrual hygiene management are undertaken. Audio and visual aids in the form of documentary, short films etc. are used to conduct the training. These health workers then conduct awareness meetings for the villagers even during occasions such as Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day.

To assure that menstrual hygiene management is adequately addressed, ASHA, ANM and Aanganwadi workers from a particular village are brought together in order to provide them with training and capacity building on MHM. These entities collaborate on synthesizing the available evidence and identifying the gaps in the knowledge needed for effective and efficient response.

BVHA designs MHM-related activities with a view to provide attention to the communities as their engagement will help foster an enabling environment for girls. Another overarching objective is the recognition of the many benefits to be gained from undertaking collaborative approaches between health workers. Such approaches can effectively assist health volunteers to better understand the MHM-related barriers facing girls, and the most effective approaches for addressing menstrual hygiene management as part of WASH in community programmes.

Step 2: Conducting awareness campaigns in the villages through activities and meetings.

After training the PRI members and health workers, several awareness campaigns are conducted in the form of activities. These include:

• Audio-Visual Show:Documentaries and other relevant videos are shown to the villagers. Both men and women are shown different documentaries. Men, who contribute more towards the toilet construction work, are shown videos related to it whereas women are shown documentaries on health and hygiene.  Such shows are organised twice a year in a panchayat.
• Use of flipcharts: Flipcharts are used as a medium of communication in which stories about menstruation are shared.
• Street Plays(Nukkad Natak): These are conducted with the help of natak mandlis in villages who perform plays on topics related to menstrual hygiene.
• Wall painting:This has a long lasting impact on the villagers as they see this painting every day and hence are reminded of the need for a clean and hygienic atmosphere at home as well as in their surroundings. The paintings are drawn on government properties like PHC, Government schools, Anganwadi etc.
• Information on Wheels: A mobile van decorated with coluorful and innovative posters on menstrual hygiene and equipped with an audio system to attract the target audience is used as one of the most powerful communication tool by BVHA. The menstrual hygiene promotion van travels around the village with slogan cheering and distribution of informative leaflets. This activity is conducted twice a year in every panchayat.
• Panchayat Fair:Stalls are put up where separate units such as health centers and hygiene centers are created for giving product demonstrations. Doctors are also invited in this fair so that they can interact with the villagers on one-to-one basis and answer their queries regarding good health and hygiene practices.

Step 3: Ensuring sustainability of its programs by tying up with other institutions like Jeevika

To ensure that the campaigns and awareness activities are carried out regularly, other local institutions that work at the village level are aligned. One example of such an organisation is Jeevika. Jeevika is a self-help group and has a fast growing network in Bihar. Jeevika has made amendments to its daily plan on BVHA’s request wherein it includes topics related to menstrual hygiene and initiates discussions about good MHM practices.