Tania Akter Mim (14) is a student of 10th grade at Fulshaind BL High School and College. She belongs to a middle-class family who lost her father at early age. They are six (6) members and she is the youngest child of her parents. Tania loves reading story books and her dream is to become a teacher. 

She got her first period at the age of 12. Before that she did not have any knowledge about it. She said, “I had no idea about menstruation and when I first saw it, I thought it was sickness. I was ashamed and kept it to myself. My mother got to know about it later. She taught me to use of cloths during menstruation. Then the old menstrual cloths should be buried in the ground otherwise the evil spirits would be attracted to the menstrual blood but warned me not to be telling people about my menses and to be wary of boys.”  

Unlike Tania, the information that girls receive is often inaccurate, rooted in myths or tradition rather than fact. While asking Tania about her menstrual practices she told that she preferred and valued sanitary pads but the cost of it made her unaffordable to buy for each month as her brother is the only breadwinner of the family. After receiving a dignity kit containing 8 basic essential supplies (four reusable sanitary pads, bath soap, detergent powder, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, nail cutter and sandal) from Global Unnayan Seba Sangtha, Tania was delighted. It would help her to maintain proper hygiene for the next few months and the sanitary pads are washable up to 100 times. Tania also came to know about the importance of maintaining proper MH practices by attending in awareness sessions conducted by GUSS. Now she has a changing-attitudes regarding menstruation and she is determined to purchase sanitary pads for each month by saving her pocket money. 

Initially, the project is working with 700 female students of two girl’s high school with the funding from Bangladesh Regeneration Trust UK (BRTUK). To educate the adolescent girls about MHM, provide dignity kits, establish dignity corners and carry out small-scale mitigation works are of the objectives of the project.