Berhampur: TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL), a joint venture between Tata Power and Odisha government, has successfully implemented a large-scale menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) awareness programme across southern Odisha under its CSR initiative.
The initiative, aimed to address community health, adolescent well-being and gender equity, covered eight districts and reached more than 10,000 adolescent girls and women, mostly in areas predominantly inhabited by tribal communities.
The programme focused on spreading awareness on menstrual health, promoting hygienic practices, dispelling myths and taboos surrounding menstruation and improving access to menstrual hygiene products while encouraging open and scientific discussions on the subject.
The initiative was implemented across the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Boudh, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Nabarangpur, which are characterised by difficult terrain with large stretches of hills, forests and remote habitations.
The sessions were organised at government and private schools, community halls, Anganwadi centres, community health centres and village-level community spaces to ensure wider outreach.
A total of 77 sessions were organised, including 12 in Ganjam, 11 in Koraput and 10 in Malkangiri.
Of the 10,110 participants, Ganjam reported the highest attendance with 1,530, followed by Malkangiri (1,429) and Koraput (1,398).
Trained professionals including doctors, auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), nurses, NGO representatives and community health workers conducted the sessions.
Doctors from Berhampur, Bhubaneswar and several districts of southern Odisha interacted with the girls, explaining menstrual health, hygiene practices and reproductive health in a simple and scientific manner while addressing their questions.
Several community-based sessions were also organised to reach out-of-school girls and women with the support of gram panchayat level federations (GPLFs), self help groups, community resource persons (CRPs) and master book keepers (MBKs). The initiative included 12 exclusive sessions for women across districts Ganjam, Koraput, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Boudh and Nabarangpur, with participation ranging between 99 and 159 women per session.
Menstrual hygiene material was distributed during the sessions with the kits including reusable sanitary pads with covers, hand towels, liquid soap or sanitizer and informational leaflets, while disposable sanitary pads were distributed to participants and complete kits were provided to actively participating students.
“Menstrual health awareness is essential for ensuring the health, dignity and confidence of adolescent girls and women. Through such initiatives, TPSODL aims to encourage informed discussions and promote safe menstrual practices among communities. We are committed to reaching even the most remote and tribal regions so that young girls receive the knowledge, support and resources they need to manage menstruation with confidence and dignity,” said TPSODL CEO Amit Kumar Garg.
