BALCO conducts district-level training program on menstrual health management

• Organized in association with Women & Child Development Department, Chhattisgarh, & Sarthak Jan Vikas Sanstha for over 130 anganwadi workers and lady supervisors

Balconagar: 23^rd September, 2022: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium Business, conducted a two-day district-level training programme on menstrual health management at Korba, Chhattisgarh. The training session was organized in association with Women & Child Development Department, Chhattisgarh, and Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan, NGO partner under the aegis of project ‘Nayi Kiran’. The training session witnessed participation of over 130 anganwadi workers and lady supervisors from different blocks of Korba district.

The two-day training programme entailed different sessions and activities on importance of menstrual health as a biological process, addressing social stigmas attached with it, health problems associated with menstruation, nutritional diet to be followed during menstruation, and so on. The participants were also trained on ways to sensitise adolescent girls and women on the need for proper menstrual health management. During the session, the participants collaboratively drafted a strategy on helping adolescent girls avail the benefits of different government schemes for them.

Appreciating the efforts undertaken by BALCO, Mr. M.D. Nayak, District Program Officer, Women & Child Development Department, Korba, said, “I want to urge the aganwadi workers and the lady supervisors to further sensitize the community members on this subject in order to make this training programme truly successful. BALCO has launched a dedicated project on menstrual health management, which is commendable. I am certain that our efforts will result in improving the collective health status of women in the region.”

Talking about the initiative, Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director, BALCO said, “Our Nayi Kiran Project is aimed at improving women’s health in the region through multiple interventions. One such pivotal intervention is capacity building of anganwadi workers and lady supervisors to enable them to become catalysts of change, demystifying myths and taboos related to menstrual health. The main objective of conducting such sessions is to mainstream menstrual health management as a subject, so that the focus can be on improving women’s health holistically. We have joined forces with the district administration for this mission, and we hope that this will truly make a difference to the lives of local communities.”

Sharing her experience, Kirti Jain, Lady Supervisor, Korba, said, “The training session was extremely informative. It has helped us develop the right approach to communicate the message on menstrual health management to the community. With such insightful sessions, I believe that we as frontline workers will be able to bring a positive change regarding women’s health in the region.”

Launched in 2019, Project Nayi Kiran reaches out to 45 villages and wards spread across rural and urban areas. As part of the project, BALCO has undertaken capacity building and leadership sessions with 60 adolescent girls’ groups, 60 women’s Self-Help Groups and 60 frontline workers, making them torchbearers on spreading awareness about safe menstrual health practices. In an inclusive step, the company has also worked towards sensitizing the male fraternity on the subject. 60 adolescent boys have also been made community champions on menstrual health awareness. This year four Swastha Suvidha Kendras have also been established in villages for counselling the residents on menstrual health & hygiene related issues and for addressing queries, if any. Till date, BALCO has sensitized nearly 33,400 women, men, adolescent girls and boys through Nayi Kiran.