2 Ngos From Anand District About Which We Want To Know More: Development Practice, A Perspective Group: 3

DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE, A PERSPECTIVE
Group: 3
2 NGOs from Anand district about which we want to know more

Tribhuvandas Foundation
The Foundation derives its uniqueness from the fact that it is a need-based programme for
villagers and is run by the villagers themselves. It fulfils the basic health care needs of the
villages. Apart from providing primary treatment for various common ailments, the
Foundation is also actively involved in promoting preventive health practices. It is
headquartered at Anand with sub-centres spread over the district Anand and Kheda. The
Foundation has a dedicated Team of Medical Officers, Nurses, Administrative staff, Dais
(Traditional Birth Attendants) and Village Health Workers to provide the following services:
Treatment of common ailments; Immunization through vaccination – BCG, Triple Vaccine,
Polio, Measles, Tetanus, Anti rabies at subsidised rate; Treatment of tuberculosis and
anaemia; Antenatal, postnatal care, neonatal and infant care ; Nutritional rehabilitation
centres for undernourished children and vulnerable mothers; Identification of suspected cases
of cancer and referrals ; Education and counselling on reversible and permanent methods of
family planning, health education sessions and referral of critical cases to secondary and
tertiary care centres; Building partnership with government for family planning programmes
in rural areas; Distribution of contraceptive tablets and condoms through regular camps;
Laparoscopic TL and minilab operations, insertion of Copper-T (IUD), and Tubectomy;
Cancer awareness programme, detection camp and treatment at Shri Krishna Hospital,
Karamsad; Balwadis (Day Care Centres) for pre-school play and learning activities for
children of three to five years.
Anoopam Mission
NGO Activities: Anoopam Mission (NGO) works in the health sector and has adopted 132
villages covering more than 1 lakh people. Patients were enrolled for general check-up,
dental, eye, Hb and blood group, Anaemia (after Hb checkups), night blindness, worm
treatment etc. Every village are routinely follow-up, the activity is going on since 2007. The
treatment given in the camp held for single day for one village. Every weekend two villages
are covered. Per month 8 villages are covered.
Proposed not for profit entity we want to form

A not-for-profit entity working as an umbrella organization for the association of all the
organizations working in India on the issue.
Mode: policy advocacy and support for R&D and product development for grassroots
organizations working in the same domain
Rationale behind working on this idea:
Menstrual health and hygiene is a technical, technological and sociocultural issue, with
barriers that are as old as our civilization itself. To right all these age-old wrongs, while
putting in place services that enable over one-third of India's population to manage their
periods at home, school, work or play, with dignity, requires a combined effort from all of us.
So this is very simply, a call to action.
The need of the hour is funding. Funding is needed to incorporate menstrual hygiene
management into the social fabric of life and break taboos; into the school environment to
enable girls to continue their education; into health services and information offered in
remote rural areas; into the research and development being done to innovate simple, low-
cost solutions; and into various policies being framed which touch the lives of girls and
women.
Menstrual hygiene management as a strategic multiplier makes a compelling case, offering
measurable returns on investment and a wide range of tangible benefits to not only girls, but
all of us.
Biggest challenges
 70% of mothers consider menstruation 'dirty', perpetuating a culture of shame and

ignorance
 88% of menstruating women in India use home-grown alternatives like old fabric,
rags, sand, ash, wood shavings, newspapers, dried leaves, hay, and plastic
 63 million adolescent girls live in homes without toilet facilities
 Girls are typically absent for 20% of the school year due to menstruation, which is the
second major reason, after household work, for girls to miss school
 70% increase in incidence of reproductive tract infections owing to poor menstrual
hygiene
Greatest opportunities
 Keeping girls in school, thus delaying early marriage and pregnancy has the potential
to add $100 billion to India's GDP over their lifetimes
 Tackling the menstrual health and hygiene issue generates a triple return on
investment with improved outcomes in education, health and environment
 The high priority assigned by the new government to sanitation for women makes this
a priority sector for investment
 Improving menstrual health and hygiene will help India achieve four of seven MDGs
on maternal health, education, environment and gender equality
Menstrual Hygiene CRISIS... what crisis?

Poor menstrual health and hygiene is a crisis that most of us don't even know exists. A girl
attains puberty, gets her first period, starts using a sanitary napkin, and occasionally
experiences cramps. With over 200 million women in India ignorant of safe menstrual
hygiene practices and what constitutes a normal and healthy period, poor menstrual practices
have serious detrimental effects on education and health outcomes for girls and women.
What contributes to this crisis?
Three key dimensions contribute to the issue:
Lack of awareness
The culture of silence around menstruation in India is so complete that 71% of girls report
having no knowledge of menstruation before their first period. For most, it is a terrifying
experience compounded by taboos that often restrict them from sleeping in the same house,
touching food, or even bathing during their period. Their mothers, who can ideally guide
them, are typically ignorant of hygienic practices themselves, do not understand the
importance of good nutrition, or recognize the signs of menstruation related illnesses such as
anemia.
Lack of material
Most girls and women in rural India rely on home-based or other readily available and often
unsanitary materials such as old fabric, rags, sand, ash, and hay to manage menstruation.
Without any absorbent material, some even end up menstruating on their clothes. Moreover,
commercially produced napkins are a major environmental hazard. If these non-bio
degradable napkins were to become available to all, India would produce 580,000 tons of
menstrual waste every year, most of which would end up in water bodies or be burned along
with other domestic waste.
Lack of facilities
63 million adolescent girls in India live in homes without toilets. Two out of five schools do
not have separate toilets for girls. Limited access to safe, functional toilets at home forces
girls to manage their periods in ways that compromise their safety and health. With no toilets
in school, they simply do not attend.
How can menstrual health and hygiene be improved?
While the issue may seem complex and multi-faceted, evidence suggests that the responses
are fundamentally simple and if implemented well will result in lasting change. We propose
that the following five areas to be prioritized:
1. Policy Advocacy
Rationale: Sanitation has yet not been the key/core area of focus of the government
and the taboos associated with it are very deeply rooted in the Indian society. There
should be top-down approach where it becomes part of the curriculum and many
essential sanitary products need to be 100% subsidized. The conversation on this issue
has to be initiated by the top authorities.
The other four areas focuses on implementation and should be provided proper research,
product development and funding support from the association
2. Educate mothers
Rationale: A well-informed mother is better equipped to teach her daughter hygienic
menstrual practices, provide her with adequate nutrition, and prioritize menstrual
support in the household budget.
3. Focus on Schools
Rationale: Training teachers to discuss menstruation, providing functional toilets, and
creating platforms for peer support is critical to reducing menstruation related fear and
absenteeism amongst adolescent girl’s post-puberty; this also enables girls to demand
sanitation at home.
4. Offer Alternatives to sanitary napkins
Rationale: Cotton cloth, hygienically used, has been declared as an acceptable
sanitary material by leading international agencies such as UNICEF. Promoting these
alternatives will ensure that marginalized populations have greater and long term
access to bio-degradable sanitary material.
5. Promote health seeking behaviour
Rationale: Over 90% of menstrual problems are preventable if treated at an early
stage. Educating girls on what constitutes a normal or abnormal period and when they
should seek medical help while simultaneously training medical staff to provide
relevant support will ensure improved health outcomes.

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DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE, A PERSPECTIVE

2 NGOs from Anand district about which we want to know more

Proposed not for profit entity we want to form

 70% of mothers consider menstruation 'dirty', perpetuating a culture of shame and

Menstrual Hygiene CRISIS... what crisis?

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