2085 पटक हेरिएको Sunsari : Pratima Baniya, a 21-year-old adolescent girl of Barahakshetra Municipality ward no-2 Punarbas in Sunsari District, eastern part of Nepal, is studying in class 12 in Adarsha Higher Secondary School. She is energetic, motivated and intelligent student of the school. She would like to share her experiences and story about her first time menstruation which was really shocking and tragic. Because of deep rooted vicious traditional practice, she was compelled to stay in the neighbor house for 5 days. She was not allowed to see the face of her brothers and father during the menstruation period as well did not get nutritious food and not allowed to touch evenwater tap, she used old cloths as sanitary pad. She was depending on other for managing water and food. It was really cruel traditional practices of the society. Having faced such type of difficulties which was inhuman behavior towards female, she committed to minimize such practices and her sisters and friends in communities would not face same condition during menstruation.
When she got opportunity to play role in street drama on “Mensuration Hygiene Management” which was organized by CSDC Sunsari under WASH SDG project of Plan international Nepal. She was really impressed and performed her role effectively in the drama. She got more information regarding menstruation hygiene management and started to orient or convey the message to her friends as well persuaded her parents on the traditional and inhuman practices of mensuration hygiene.. Now her parents are not rigid on it as a result my sisters did not face difficulties in their first-time mensuration which she had faced. They stayed own house and got nutritious food also during the period as well started to use sanitary pad instead of old clothes.
Now Pratima is a Mensuration Hygiene Management (MHM) champion and member of Sanitary pad distribution committee at her school. Now she is preparing reusable sanitary pad herself and using reusable sanitary. It decrease the expenses of family. Her mother, Parbati Baniyasaid, “I started to purchase nutritious food for daughter by saving amount after using reusable sanitary pad made by Ptatima herself.” Her father, Rajan Baniya also said, “My daughter changed our traditional concept towards mensuration Hygiene management now my daughters and wife are felt safety &secure during menstruation period.” In this way Pratima is transferring herself as a role model of the society.
