West Bengal: Women Revive Pond To Maintain Hygiene During Menstruation

Foskadanga is a remote rural village that consists of eight districts. The occupation of the locals is based on natural resources, like collecting wood, crabs, and fish. Every month when the tribal women of Foskadanga faced their menstruation, their only source of water was a debris-filled village pond.

The pond water was their primary source for daily usage, especially for women who wash their clothes during menstruation.

When Team Goonj started holding menstruation-related Chuppi Todo Baithaks (Break the Silence meetings), women spoke about this challenge. Under Goonj's Not Just A Piece of Cloth' (NJPC) initiative, our team mobilized and motivated the women to take action for their own menstrual health.

Soon 80 local women and a few local men came together to clean and repair 90 feet long, 45 feet-wide, and 15 feet deep pond.

The cleaned-up pond will also be a boon for the local farmers in their agricultural irrigation throughout the year. The pond is now clean and provides easy access for menstruating women to bathe and maintain personal hygiene.

In the last 2 decades, Goonj has held thousands of Break the silence meetings and motivated women and their communities to take action for their menstruation. In FY 2021-22, Goonj held a menstrual health meeting with more than 43,000 women across India.

These sessions also focussed on raising awareness about menstruation among the menstruators of the region. Women especially face a lot of challenges around water and private spaces, managing their menstruation every month.

Our aim at Goonj is to take their own decision not only about their problems but also about their solutions. All these goals achieved through community-led efforts are the hallmark of Goonj's menstruation-related work with the NJPC initiative.

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