On 22 October 2022, Nepal Unites organized a one-day workshop on “Personal Hygiene and Sanitation” with the ground-level community people in Rajbiraj-01, Sapatari, Madhesh Province which is in the eastern region of Nepal. A small grant was provided for this community engagement program by the Kowloon Union Church based in Hong Kong. Dumari Health Post In-charge, Mr. Amar Anand Yadav and C.ANM Ms. Rinku Mishra served as the main facilitators in this workshop. The facilitators led sessions on Personal and Menstrual Hygiene, and Food-Borne Infections, Diarrheal Diseases and other communicable diseases.
A woman participant namely Sabnam Khatun appreciated the workshop’s organizer for holding an open conversation about personal hygiene, saying; “this really gave us a way to make a well-being life.” Another woman, Apsara Khatun also shared her experience with Muslim women who previously felt uncomfortable discussing menstrual hygiene or any other aspect of personal health. However, this type of workshop empowered the community’s women to speak out and be aware of everything, she said.
A featured guest in the workshop, Md. Doaman a local leader shared about self-care and encouraged everyone to put what they had learned to use in their daily life so that they may live a healthier life going forward, especially this time that dengue is spreading like a pandemic in Nepal. Given that mothers are their children’s first teachers, the community needs a program of this kind for women.
There were 40 women and 5 men invited to this workshop from Dumari, Rahamatpur, and Chanaura villages.