Lily's Leaves is a Nepalese social business that is doing a lot of positive in the lives of girls by addressing menstrual hygiene. The majority of girls in Nepal experience issues during their menstruation, for example, lacking sanitary pads. This causes health complications and can even exclude them from school.
Lily's Leaves has instituted a program that gives girls sanitary pads as well as educating them on menstrual health. In offering these basic necessities, we have empowered girls to stay healthy and go to school uninterrupted. Girls who can manage their periods well can focus well on their studies and reach their full potential.
The project is also about breaking the menstruation taboo. It enlightens communities on the fact that periods are normal and no girl should be denied education because of them.
There are many challenges which are being faced by girls in nepal regarding health. Due to the lack of availability of sanitary pads and poor health education, Nepalese girls experience numerous challenges that affect their social interaction, education, and general health.
1. School Attendance and Educational Impact:
In Nepal, between 15% and 22% of females say they miss school when they are menstruating. This problem prevents girls from receiving enough educational support.
2. Health Implications
It is said that 82% of Nepalese women live in rural areas. There traditional and unsanitary menstruation practices are common that raise the risk of reproductive health problems in them.
There are still some women who are still adopting unsafe and traditional ways of period management. It can lead to health problems among Nepali women and girls. These practices can expose women to infections and other reproductive diseases.
3. Social Restrictions and Stigma
Cultural Taboos: Nine out of ten women and girls in Nepal experience restrictions during menstruation, including being prohibited from entering prayer rooms, temples, kitchens, and even attending school due to cultural beliefs about impurity.
Isolation Practices: Some illegal pracrices like Chhaupadi (girls are isolated from house during menstruation) are still in some rural part of Nepal.
4. Limited Access to Sanitary Products
Sanitary Pad Usage:The most common menstrual products consumed in Nepal are disposable pads (59.8%) and cloth (47.6%). While more than 59% of women aged over 35 use cloth pads, more than 75% of younger women (15–24 years) use disposable pads.
The reality that over 10% of older women wear underwear to prevent stains or not at all is alarming.
Financial Barriers: Female Hygiene products are expensive. The taxes in female hygiene products in Nepal are subject to a 15% custom duty, 13% Value-Added Tax (VAT), and another 1.5% VAT on custom duty, making them inaccessible to many women.
5. Psychological and Social Well-being
Emotional Distress: Because of the change in their body and hormones, many girls experience shame, fear, confusion, and teasing related to menstruation, leading to emotional distress and decreased self-esteem.
For most girls, sanitary pads are still a dream to be fulfilled, a cause for school dropout as well as subsequent health complications arising from improper handling of menstrual hygiene. Lily's Leaves intervened to bring this to an end by providing affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads to schools and society at large.
With this program is not only help to improve menstrual health but also provided a sense of dignity to girls countless in number that otherwise would struggle through their cycle-related conditions.
Providing Sanitary Pads: Lily's Leaves offers girls the sanitary pads they need so that they can manage their menstrual cycle in a healthy manner. Girls will stay in school, for example, instead of staying home due to pains related to menstruation.
Educating on Menstrual Hygiene: The program teaches girls how to care for their menstrual health. This includes safe pad usage and proper hygiene practices, reducing the risk of infections.
Ensuring School Attendance: Use of sanitary pads will erase menstrual discomfort. In this way they dont miss classes..
Breaking the Stigma: Lily’s Leaves promotes open discussions about menstruation to normalize it. This reduces embarrassment and empowers girls to talk openly about their needs.
Improving Health and Education: Proper menstrual care helps girls stay healthier and focus on their studies.
This program is important because it addresses the challenges that many girls face during their periods.
Ensures Health and Hygiene: It provides girls with sanitary pads and education on menstrual hygiene, helping to prevent infections and health problems.
Supports School Attendance: This program helps in enabling school attendance because it avails sanitary products to girls, the program reduces absenteeism as girls can attend school without fear of their periods.
Promotes Gender Equality: It breaks the stigma around menstruation, encouraging open discussions and making menstruation a normal part of life, not something to be ashamed of.
Empower Girls: Girls are empowered with the right information and sanitary products.
Improves Education Outcomes: With fewer missed school days, girls can stay focused and perform better academically, leading to brighter futures.
In addition to providing sanitary pads, Lily's Leaves empowers the girls by educating them about their bodies and rights.
Lily's Leaves empowers the girls by teaching them about their bodies and rights, in addition to giving them sanitary pads. As their physical and emotional health has gotten better, the girls are able to dream big and achieve what they set out to do.
In order to help girls stay healthy and go to school, Lily's Leaves offers sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene education.
Why is menstrual hygiene important for education?
Without proper menstrual care, girls may miss school, leading to poor education outcomes. Providing sanitary pads helps them stay in class.
How does Lily's Leaves break the stigma around menstruation?
The initiative empowers girls by normalizing menstruation and lowering discomfort via education and candid discussions.
Can any girl access the sanitary pad program?
Yes, the program's goal is to give girls in underprivileged communities access to sanitary pads that they might not otherwise have.
Explore how Lily's Leaves' sanitary pad program in Nepal empowers girls by improving menstrual hygiene, keeping them in school, and promoting better health.