Safe and Dignified School Spaces: Addressing Menstrual Hygiene Through Better WaSH

For adolescent girls, access to safe, private and hygienic sanitation facilities is closely connected with comfort, dignity and their ability to use school facilities during menstruation. Poor sanitation conditions, lack of privacy, inadequate water access and unhygienic wash areas can create discomfort and hesitation around using school toilets.

The Narayana Hrudayalaya-supported WaSH project in five Government schools in Delhi and Gurgaon placed specific attention on creating safer and more supportive sanitation environments for adolescent girls. The project combined infrastructure improvements with hygiene awareness and sensitization activities to strengthen menstrual hygiene management within the school environment.

The blog will examine how improvements to basic sanitation infrastructure can contribute to a more dignified experience for girls. The project included refurbishment of toilet facilities, improvement of privacy through functional doors and locks, enhanced ventilation and lighting, and better access to clean water. These changes were intended to create sanitation spaces that were safer, more comfortable and more suitable for girls' needs.

The intervention also recognized that infrastructure alone is not sufficient to address hygiene-related challenges. Awareness and sensitization efforts were undertaken to improve understanding of hygiene practices, encourage openness around menstrual health and address stigma associated with menstruation.

The blog will connect these interventions with the project's wider objective of creating inclusive and gender-sensitive school environments. The report identifies SDG 5 on Gender Equality as one of the project's key SDG linkages, particularly through improved sanitation conditions, menstrual hygiene management and support for the continued participation of adolescent girls in education.

The article will also discuss the relationship between hygiene conditions, dignity and attendance. According to the project report, improved sanitation conditions were intended to reduce discomfort and hesitation associated with using school toilets during menstruation and contribute to increased comfort, dignity and regular attendance among adolescent girls.

By using the project as its foundation, the blog will present menstrual hygiene management as an important consideration within school WaSH interventions. It will demonstrate how safe sanitation, clean water, privacy, supportive infrastructure and awareness can work together to create a more inclusive school environment for girls.