AWARENESS FIRST, GIRLS?
A documentation of MHM and cleanliness interventions in various government schools of Madhya Pradesh.
(Funded by WaterAid India)
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidylayas (KGBVs) are residential schools for tribal girls all over India. MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) is an integral part of the course curriculum in every KGBV. Despite being from vulnerable communities, these girls are extremely confident about Periods. They are well aware about Menstruation and perform plays to educate other girls in their respective schools. Various games like a modified version of Snakes and Ladders that teach young girls to break age old myths about menstruation and toilet race are conducted in these schools so that the girls are constantly reminded of the importance of hygiene in their lives.
The results in turn, have been overwhelming. Apart from having fun, these girls told me that when they go back home during holidays, they tell their mothers everything they learn about menstruation at school. Their mothers and some other women of their families have benefited so much by the information that now they have started going to the kitchen while they have their periods.
A group of girls cheering for their friends.
The girls from KGBV Chenpura in Jhabua are the most fearless girls I have seen in a while. They are extremely confident girls who are well aware of the facts about Menstruation and perform plays to educate other girls of their school.
This is one of the kit games that is provided to all the KGBV schools so that the girls interactively learn the values of cleanliness. This is a menstruation related game where girls play it like the basic Snakes and Ladders, difference being the snakes representing the myths about it and the ladders teaching them how to maintain hygiene during menstruation.
I was mesmerised by the amount of energy all these girls have no matter what the game is. Here, these girls are playing a WASH related game, generally called the Toilet Race, very similar to the famous musical chair. The only difference is that these girls draw seats using chalks on their courtyards and the one who does not sit on time is eliminated. Before getting eliminated, the girl knocks the door of one of her friends to ask if she can use the toilet for a moment. In between all the chaos, right from the other girl lending the toilet to her friend to the eliminated girl using an imaginary tap to wash her hands, the head mistress points out everything. This helps the girls to remember the WASH theories well.
Ranu and Babita are the leaders of the school Karate team. Ranu said, ”I love Karate because it makes me strong headed in the mind and I can kick anybody who tries to harm me.” On the other hand, Babita, the quieter one told me, “I am having periods today but I will not miss my practices because we are taught to break myths.”
Parul loves to be active. In the first picture she is seen playing a WASH related race and eventually collecting the most points for her team. The chair is a fictional setup by the organizers where all the team players stop and wash their hands before passing their chance to the other team member and so on. The team which finishes the first with the least number of fouls eventually wins.
Supriya Meada from K.G.B.V. Bedawa studies in class six. Both her parents died a long time ago and she wants to become a collectorate when she grows up. She is an active member of the girls group who teach the others how to maintain WASH.
Amidst various activities happening inside KGBV Badaguda, I spotted various girls having their haircuts inside the campus. Astonished, I realised that almost nobody had long hair and the girls looked pretty happy and confident with short hair. right after their individual haircuts. Post their individual haircuts, I spotted this trio of Rekha, Parvati and Meena cheering for their friends who were playing the WASH games.
Sajanpur block is almost considered Gujarat since we crossed the MP-Gujarat border to reach KGBV Sajanpur. Just like their food, the girls are extremely sweet in nature. All the girls of the school performed a folk dance together in a beautifully coordinated manner.
We just connect to some people, irrespective of the age bars, don’t we? Aarti Arya from KGBV Singot is that connection I will cherish upon. When I asked her what her aims in life were, she said, “I want to be an Inspector, a lady inspector. I want to give good lessons to people who harm the society.” It was such a pleasure watching a girl of seventh grade leading the way and practicing Karate from such a young age. She took my camera bag and lessened my burden throughout my visit to her campus and said, “I love your bag didi, please click one picture.” I look back at this picture today and I see this young girl smiling at me from miles away.
Every hostel has a group that loves bunking classes and meetings. I saw this group of girls, some hiding under their beds and some pretending to be sick while I was walking around their school. As soon as they saw me, Kalawati took charge, they made a queue and walked down to the courtyard to learn more about WASH, almost mechanically.
Lalbai is one of the most innocent girls I met during my field visits. She is an academic scholar but still is curious to know about the whereabouts of the outer world. When I asked her what rich and poor meant to her, she said, “You have a camera, you are definitely rich. I am not rich but I would like to be rich someday.” She dreams to be like the ‘Mahavari Didi’ who gives hygiene and menstruation awareness classes at their school.
The ‘Beti Bachao Andolan’ has been an imperative part of our history. Many might argue that today, the norms have been crushed. However, the real roots to all the myths are our villages. To remind the girls that they are no less, KGBV’s are flooded with paintings and posters that speak of the beauty of being a girl child.
Ranjana, Sunita and the rest of their classmates bidding us goodbye with a happy heart because they loved the interactive games and activities conducted by WaterAid and Samarthan.
