1 hygiene kit for a schoolgirl in Nepal

Nepal is a country where millennia-old religious traditions are still valued and practiced today. Hindus make up about 81% of the population (Nepal Statistical Yearbook, 2021). In the remote regions of western Nepal, in districts such as Achham, Bajura, Doti, and Bajhang, which are among the poorest in Nepal, literacy rates are below the national average. In Achham, the literacy rate for women is 37%, and in Bajura, it is 22% (Shrestha, E., 2019). The people there hold deep-rooted beliefs about menstruation, which is referred to as "Chaupadi" in the local language. They believe that women are impure during their period due to bleeding, and that if they do not follow the old traditions, "God will become angry," and they will face bad omens (United Nations Nepal, 2020). The lack of education leads many women and their families to blindly follow this belief, putting their lives at risk. The tradition requires women to be locked out of their homes and sleep in simple huts, even in freezing cold. They have no access to public spaces, are not allowed to eat certain foods, and are prohibited from having contact with their family members and animals (Gilson, D., 2015). Since many families are poor, women traditionally use old fabric scraps during their periods, which often leads to infections. Sleeping in these huts often results in hypothermia, respiratory diseases, exposure to wild animals, and assaults. Since mothers are also considered impure and excluded for about 14 days after childbirth, this contributes to high maternal and infant mortality rates (Kriesl, I., 2017).