In partnership with Cause Vision, a media company dedicated to developing informational materials for the needs of individual communities, HCC has distributed anti-trafficking comics to schools and communities across rural Nepal. On December 31st, HCC staff distributed the anti-trafficking comic CHAMELI GOES TO SCHOOL to the Shree Janajyote H.S. School in Banepa, rural Nepal. 55 students in grades 6-10 received comics to help them learn how to identify and avoid potential trafficking situations. CHAMELI tells the story of a Nepali student who is trafficked to help students and communities recognize common strategies traffickers use against vulnerable children and families.

CHAMELI GOES TO SCHOOL intends to educate children and communities about the very real danger of human trafficking in a non-threatening way. With adequate information, children and communities are better equipped to prevent human trafficking. Human trafficking still remains a massive problem in Nepal, with hundreds of thousands of Nepalis trafficked within Nepal and abroad. The open borders between Nepal and India provide relatively easy routes for traffickers. Current estimates place 200,000 Nepali women and girls currently trafficked and working in brothels in India. HCC seeks to bridge the information gap in rural communities by providing important safety information in a non-fear-inducing way.

HCC aims to continue distributing comics to even more schools and communities across Nepal in 2018.

The post HCC Distributes Anti-Trafficking Comics as Human Trafficking Awareness Month Begins appeared first on HCC Nepal.

HCCN Team and Participants on Menstrual Hygiene Day 2017

May 28th is marked as World Menstrual Hygiene Day all over the world, an initiative in which different activities bring awareness to people about menstrual discrimination, taboos and unhealthy and unhygienic practices in different countries regarding menstrual health. 

On this day, Himalayan Children’s Charities Nepal team Sadie, Munmaya,  Nari, Giri, Barsha, and Khil conducted an hour-long menstrual hygiene awareness seminar and sanitary kits distribution program at Bal Mandir orphanage (managed by Nepal Children Organization) in Kathmandu. From this program, 19 young girls out of 71 living at the orphanage were directly benefited. Sanitary kits were handed to the clinic in-charge for those who missed the program due to their morning school. There were 70 packets(700 pieces) sanitary kits for those young girls living at the orphanage.  The program was coordinated by Khil with the objective to bring awareness of proper menstrual health to young girls living at the orphanage and to provide them hygienic kits to cultivate good, hygienic and healthy habits during menstrual cycles.

Previous HCC feminine hygiene seminars taught in Dhading by HCC Graduate Mun Maya

The program started at 8 AM with a welcome note, sharing the objective of the program, introducing the HCCN team and later the participants of the program. Also, a quiz was conducted to build rapport among the participants and to give them a better idea of basics of menstrual health care and why May 28th is important. For each winner, one packet sanitary kit was awarded by Barsha to encourage their answers. Later, the session was carried out by Nari, where she shared and discussed menstruation, menstrual hygiene practices among young girls in Nepal, cultural barriers, improper practices and how to have healthy and happy periods with some real-life examples. She was supported by Barsha, Munamaya, and Sadie with their input on the content as well, making the discussion more engaging and effective.

Lastly, Giri thanked all the participants and the orphanage Management Team for providing us with the venue and the participants for conducting the program. The overall program was effective and Management Personnel Sabita said

“We are very happy to have you here conducting such an informative program to our young girls. These type of program is very crucial specially for young ones when they have their first period and have so many queries in their head and need proper guidance and support.  Please, let us know if there are more such activities in future days and we heartily welcome you and your team.”

HCC Feminine Hygiene Seminar in Dhading Classroom

HCC graduates have been committed to fighting against the cultural stigma of menstruation, previously distributing washable feminine hygiene kits and teaching feminine hygiene classes to HCC supported students in Dhading and other rural districts in Nepal. In rural areas of Nepal especially, stigma and shame are attached to menstruation but HCC graduates are leading to charge to eradicate the stigma and promote healthy and hygienic practices for girls.

The post Menstrual Hygiene Awareness Project Coordinated by HCC Grads appeared first on HCC Nepal.