Couple takes care of hygiene - Fusion - WeRIndia

Noble people do not speak words. Rather they show in their actions. Meet the couple who is striving to take care of hygiene for underprivileged children in municipal schools.

Meena Mehta and Atul are wife and husband from Surat. They distribute hygiene kits and sanitary napkins to the girls in municipal school. The kit they provide consists of one packet of sanitary napkins and two sets of undergarments. It contains a soap bar and four shampoo sachets as well.

The couple gives these kits to the girls every month in 22 municipal schools, one school for deaf and mute students, and one school for the blind. All these schools are within a radius of 6km from their house.

Initially, Meena distributed the kits among five girls. But now, more than 2,000 girls and women are getting these kits. In order to distribute the sanitary napkins in the municipal schools, she took permission from the Surat Municipal Corporation.

Meena also helps differently abled girls with sports bras as it can be difficult for them to use hooks. She gives undergarments every two months to small girls and boys aged 4-11. She aims to teach more children about being hygienic.

However, it is not just school children she helps, she distributes these kits to women in her neighborhood also. These include housemaids, vegetable sellers, daughters of the building watchmen, etc.

Meena makes sure that she personally delivers the kits to each student instead of leaving them with the teachers. She also made a rule that absentees won’t get any. This has helped improve the attendance rate in schools.

Since she can visit any day, children come regularly to school. There is an improved amount of hygiene and self-confidence in the children. The number of dropouts has also reduced says Meena. The distribution usually takes about 2-3 hours in each school because many girls are not aware of the sizes they need. Meena helps the girls to choose.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia