There is a "Blind school" for girls in Shamsabad. It is owned and operated by the Punjab Government that caters for their education, training and lodging. The school has about 80 girls, out of which 75 reside in the hostel of school, which is within the school grounds.

All girls come from very poor sections of the community, from remote areas of Rawalpindi and other adjacent areas that are not in our geographic region but because of poverty and unavailability of such facilities girls in those areas are granted admission.

Just imagine the situation in a country like ours. Count the weak points;

1) Very Poor
2) Girl
3) Blind
4) Lack of interest of parents - the worst

Education & lodging is free and there is also a small facility for games like running, jumping and cricket. When there are health problem, these girls come to us for treatment. We provide them treatment at concessional rates.

Major Problems

1) More than 70% are suffering from Scabies
2) They have difficulties in maintaining personal hygiene - the most important in this is care during menses.
3) They have free treatment facilities at Rawalpindi General Hospital but they cannot go there, especially at night, because no body is free enough to go to that hospital.

1-We are already providing them treatment at low cost.

2-We have started Health education especially in personal hygiene, care and protection during menses plus oral care. Our team visits them regularly to provide them this education, training and essentials of personal life like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoos, detergents, accessories used during menses.

3-To help these girls, we have to have exact understanding of their usual habits. Towards, this end, we have done two surveys.

4-We have established a small first aid dispensary in this school to cater to emergency first aid medicines, for example, analgesics, anti-emetics, anti-diarrheals, etc.

To make this dispensary useful and safe, we have selected their Hostel warden for training as a Health Worker. Ms. Fauzia Khanum, who is also their senior school teacher, will daily attend our clinic at evening [her free time from school] for 6weeks to learn the basics.

The project leader along with the team visited the school for training the girls and their teachers. This training included:

Washing Hands, When & how to clean teeth, hygiene and care during menses plus other aspects of personal cleanliness. The team donated them some soaps, toothbrushes, shampoos, sanitary pads plus training in how to make these sanitary pads in their school for themselves.

For those who do not know habits of our women regarding personal care, please read the following.

It is a common practice in our country that women do not bathe at all during menses. They think that menses is some sickness and bathing during this period will cause cold in bones etc. This results in a feeling of tiredness, ill health, lethargy and very severe body odor during these days. Please note our religion Islam does restrict praying (Namaz/Salat), Fasting (Roza/Som) or touching Quran (The holy book) during bleeding period but it does not restrict bathing at all during menses, it is only a misbelief .

What women commonly use during Meneses.

We have done research in it according to which:

1) Most of women do not use underwear at all. They simply insert cotton with help of a thick thread or string.
2) Second category of women use old used and abolished clothes with the help of underwear.
3) Only a minority uses proper sanitary pads.

Because of low income, the prices of sanitary pads are too high and thus unaffordable for women.

My wife teaches girls and women attending our clinic for any reason about personal hygiene, care and protection during menses. She also visits girl's high schools for imparting this training.

She trains women and girls in personal hygiene and in making of sanitary pads. We have formed various groups of girls and women. Each group consists of five girls or five women of same age and a group leader. We train group leaders who in turn train their group members. We hold tests to assess the training and the knowledge induced.

She recommends the girls and women:

-If women can afford, they should definitely use Sanitary Pads from some reliable company.

-If this is not possible, they should purchase ordinary cotton cloth (or any other cloth which is not rough and irritating) from market and make a pad using this cloth and cotton wool.

-The sanitary pad or self-made ordinary pad should always be worn with some non-irritating underwear. It is not wise to put cloth in vulva and vagina with the help of some string or thick thread.

-The pad must be changed as soon as it is soaked. It specially applies to those women who have heavy bleeding. In those women who have scanty bleeding and the pad is not much soaked, the pad must be replaced after 6-8 hours or more often, especially in summer.

-Every woman must have at least two sets of underwear to be used on alternating days, change it next day, wash it and keep for next day.