Empowering Women To Feel Comfortable With Their Nature
Menstruation is a natural process of the female body that signals health and childbearing capacity. Every menstruator has the right to be independent and self-determined without suffering from underlying hierarchies and restrictive practices. Our vision is to help women live their lives in independence, self-determination and freedom of choice. Only a change of Mindset of everyone, can make this vision become reality.
MENSTRUATION PROJECT
Empowering Women To Feel Comfortable With Their Nature
Menstruation is a natural process of the female body that signals health and childbearing capacity. Every menstruator has the right to be independent and self-determined without suffering from underlying hierarchies and restrictive practices. Our vision is to help women live their lives in independence, self-determination and freedom of choice. Only a change of Mindset of everyone, can make this vision become reality.
PROBLEM
In Nepal, girls and women struggle to manage their menstruation in a healthy and dignified way, due to restrictive practices and lack of menstrual products.
SOLUTION
We want to provide affordable and compostable menstrual products, advocate for women’s right and raise awareness around menstrual health management.
GOAL
All women must have access to menstrual products and live without the risk of discrimination and social ostracization.
Initial Situation
In Nepal, girls and women struggle every month to manage their menstruation hygienically, safely and with dignity. In Far western region of Nepal, menstruating women are considered untouchable, dirty and impure due to the cultural and religious traditions. Some of them being isolated from their families for the duration of their period and must sleep in cow sheds. In the rest of the country the restrictions are less severe, but the vast majority of Nepalese women are still discriminated during their period. Many menstruating women are not allowed to enter the kitchen or any religious places.
This negative stigmatization, in combination with the lack of availability of menstrual products in many places means that the period for countless Nepalese girls and women becomes a monthly recurring degrading and undignified agony. Many women are forced to use unsanitary alternatives such as dirty rags, especially in remote areas. In addition, the school curriculum contains too little information on the biological cycle of menstruation, making it difficult for adolescent girls to find viable information.
Initial Situation
In Nepal, girls and women struggle every month to manage their menstruation hygienically, safely and with dignity. In Far western region of Nepal, menstruating women are considered untouchable, dirty and impure due to the cultural and religious traditions. Some of them being isolated from their families for the duration of their period and must sleep in cow sheds. In the rest of the country the restrictions are less severe, but the vast majority of Nepalese women are still discriminated during their period. Many menstruating women are not allowed to enter the kitchen or any religious places.
This negative stigmatization, in combination with the lack of availability of menstrual products in many places means that the period for countless Nepalese girls and women becomes a monthly recurring degrading and undignified agony. Many women are forced to use unsanitary alternatives such as dirty rags, especially in remote areas. In addition, the school curriculum contains too little information on the biological cycle of menstruation, making it difficult for adolescent girls to find viable information.
The Mission of the Project
The Mission of the Project
What happened so far?
To reach our goals, several important milestones have already been achieved:
To begin spreading awareness about women’s biology and menstruation, we conducted a series of workshops and webinars that until now reach almost 8000 women and girls of diverse ethnic background across Nepal.
To develop the menstrual pads, especially the absorbent core in banana fiber, a research project has been carried out in 2021 at Grenoble-INP Pagora, UGA. The results are the base on which the prototype has been developed.
To understand the situation of Nepalese women and girls regarding menstruation and to improve the scientific knowledge on menstrual product choices, accessibility and practices, we interviewed 840 women and girls from 14 districts of Nepal between November 2021 and March 2022.
To begin the implementation of our work in Nepal through our social business, Sparsa has been officially registered as a non-profit company under the Nepalese law at the beging of 2023.
In July 2023, we finished construction of fibre extraction unit at the banana plantations in Tribeni Dham, Nawalparasi district. Since then, we prepare and store this main raw material used in pad manufacturing process that is planned to begin by the beginning of 2024.
What happened so far?
To reach our goals, several important milestones have already been achieved:
To begin spreading awareness about women’s biology and menstruation, we conducted a series of workshops and webinars that until now reach almost 8000 women and girls of diverse ethnic background across Nepal.
To develop the menstrual pads, especially the absorbent core in banana fiber, a research project has been carried out in 2021 at Grenoble-INP Pagora, UGA. The results are the base on which the prototype has been developed.
To understand the situation of Nepalese women and girls regarding menstruation and to improve the scientific knowledge on menstrual product choices, accessibility and practices, we interviewed 840 women and girls from 14 districts of Nepal between November 2021 and March 2022.
To begin the implementation of our work in Nepal through our social business, Sparsa has been officially registered as a non-profit company under the Nepalese law at the beging of 2023.
In July 2023, we finished construction of fibre extraction unit at the banana plantations in Tribeni Dham, Nawalparasi district. Since then, we prepare and store this main raw material used in pad manufacturing process that is planned to begin by the beginning of 2024.
DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Become a Pal and therefore member of our great community and network. Place a donation and/or work with us in Nepal.
Anyway, lets get in contact.
DIPISHA
COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT
FLORIAN
COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT
DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Become a Pal and therefore member of our great community and network. Place a donation and/or work with us in Nepal.
Anyway, lets get in contact.
DIPISHA
COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT
FLORIAN
COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT
