Adolescent Club for Communication on Health and Hygiene Education (ACCHE CLUB)

Summary:

The project proposes to bring change among the tea tribe girls, and women by breaking the vicious cycle of ill health and poverty through a participatory approach from different stakeholders towards health education for adolescent girls. The project intervention area focus in Assam State, a northeastern state of India, an area that has the highest number of tea gardens in India. The multi-generational workers in these gardens sadly lack health education resulting in a keen lack of awareness on modern health and hygiene practices. Also, many girls during their adolescent years quit school or miss school every month due to hygiene constraints and the shame associated with menstruation. Adolescent Clubs for Communication on health/hygiene education (ACCHE) is an innovative participatory approach from multistakeholder to create awareness drive for menstrual health practices undertaken in these clubs. The school is used as a platform for promotion and the school teachers are looped in for educating the girls about the basic biology of puberty through fun videos, movies, songs, dances and quizzes. The school teachers are further supported by college girls, health workers, local governance department, welfare officer of the garden and local influencers. If the girl drops out from school the stakeholder visits the household and discusses with the girl and the parents about the concern of absenteeism, and for enrolling back the girl. The girl is further counselled and encouraged to join the school club and is welcomed by the school authority.

Background/Objectives:

The objective of the project is to generate awareness among the community for the need and necessity of Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among the adolescent girls. The schools are a good platform for adolescents awareness among rural girls and to percolate the message to the community about the need for Menstrual Hygiene Management. The teachers should take the onus of educating the girls about MHM and should encourage girls not to drop out of school because of Menstrual problems, and support in breaking the taboo about mensuration at the community.

Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:

Adolescent Club for Communication on Health and Hygiene Education (ACCHE) club is an innovative approach towards behavioural change among the adolescent girls through the formation of an ecosystem which is supportive towards adolescent health. Due to the high drop out of girls during the puberty period, the school teachers are looped in the project to educate the girls about the biology of puberty and the need to continue education. The ACCHE approach drive is a campaign for awareness generation on menstrual health practices with fun educative videos, appreciative awards and consists of several stakeholders including the schoolteachers, college going girls, health workers, welfare officers and garden management.

Results/Lessons Learned:

Many of adolescent girls in India, skip classes during menarche owing to the misconceptions and stigma attached to menstruation. Just talking with the girls and spreading awareness among girls only doesn't work out since the community perception is difficult to change, and hence the community must be involved to bring the change. If the awareness is spread through folk songs and dance and innovative games the community listens to the message. Involving the teachers has been a good platform to spread awareness among the girls and for follow up of drop-out adolescent girls. Before the project started the girls were hesitant to talk about Mensuration to the volunteers, however after a year of implementation of the project and with school teachers and other committee member involvement the girls and the community are opening up to listen about the biology of puberty cycle and the need for Mensural hygiene management.

Discussion/Implications for the Field:

Mensuration is considered a taboo in the northeastern region of India because of age-old practices. Studies suggest that girls not taught about menstruation before menarche are significantly more likely to have a pattern of absenteeism from school as compared to girls with knowledge. A collaborative effort from government, civil society organizations, education department, local self-governance the garden management should work collaboratively to break the taboo and reduced school dropouts. The ACCHE approach is a step taken towards the collaborative effort to reduce drop out of adolescent girls and to spread awareness about Menstrual Hygiene Management.

Abstract submitted by:

Shilpi Das - Adventist Development & Relief Agency (ADRA) India
Himangshu Bailung - ADRA India