Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 22 Issue 1

f) Data Collection Procedure The implementation of this campaign comprised several parts using several different tools: Step 1. Raising of funds to purchase 400 boxes of reusable sanitary pads To achieve the aim of buying 400 boxes of reusable pads for the girls in the villages of Kherla and Rewasan, a fundraiser on a platform called “Give India” was set up and sent the link out to family and friends. The target was 1 lakh rupees and the fundraiser ended up getting an extra 50,000 rupees in less than 2 weeks. In the process of ensuring that the maximum number of beneficiaries could be helped, a collaboration was set up with the Shri Ram Foundation (SRF). SRF is dedicated to transforming education, through institutes and programmes across private and government schools in India. It also had access to all the necessary resources, for instance, information about the number of girls, ways to coordinate the workshop and call all the girls to one place at a particular time. For procuring the pads, another collaboration was done with Pee Safe, more specifically its menstrual hygiene awareness project, “Raho Safe”. The company believed in the vision of this campaign and so it sold reusable pads at a discounted rate. In the end, 400 boxes of pads consisting of four pads each were bought. Together, they would last from one to one and a half years. The extra boxes were purchased in preparation for more beneficiaries than expected. Step 2. Survey before distribution of pads To get a clearer picture of the problems the girls in Mewat are facing with regards to their menstrual hygiene management, a survey was conducted with the girls in the village. Apart from the demographic factor of age bracket, this survey posed rating questions on the respondents’ level of awareness of menstruation, current menstrual hygiene management method (e.g., pads versus cloth), barriers to usage of pads (e.g., awareness, price, resistance from moms/ social context, others), and willingness to try reusable pads. To succeed in surveying all the girls in the village, SRF helped by going door to door to each girl in the village and surveying them. With its help, data was obtained from 300 girls. Step 3. Awareness Campaign On the first trip to Mewat, an awareness workshop was conducted with the girls in their common area. There was an outside space as well as a small room with a projector. This workshop was organised with the help of SRF. The SRF point person in the village of Mewat gathered the girls in the common area. With regards to the video segment of the awareness workshop, a video by two senior female gynaecologists working at ‘Fortis’ hospital in Gurgaon was shown. The videos were each approximately three minutes long and were in Hindi consisting of information about the characteristics of menstruation, why it happens, and how to use and dispose of pads. The girls were a little shy at first, and they felt embarrassed to share their stories. As one or two girls started talking, all of them felt more comfortable and they opened up and talked about where they first heard the term menstruation, the attitudes of their moms and so on. Towards the end of the session, a group of young girls said that their mothers did not use pads because they did not know how to dispose of them and they were too ashamed to talk about it themselves. Even after knowing what menstruation is, there are many other taboos and topics of shame that women today are still too scared to bring up. Step 4. Distribution of the pads The pad distribution was done on the same day as the awareness workshop. Right before the girls left, they were handed a bag that contained a box of reusable pads and a handbook. The handbook contained all the necessary information related to reusable pads (how to wash them, how long they last etc.) as well as pictures if they did not understand the text. Step 5. Survey of the girls three months later Three months after the awareness campaign, the same 300 girls were surveyed again to determine whether there were any changes in the mindset of the girls. While the questions of the pre and post- campaign surveys were largely similar, the girls were asked whether they had used the pads and the extent to which they liked using them, on a scale of 1-5, in the post-campaign survey. Other questions include whether they shared their newfound knowledge on menstrual hygiene with others. g) Data Analysis To evaluate the mean ratings of the understanding of menstruation for the entire sample mean and standard deviation was calculated. Furthermore, a paired t-test was run on the data to identify whether an impact was made by the campaign. The responses were graphed on a bar chart to show a clearer picture of the distribution of the ratings. Multiple Regression analysis was also carried out using the respondents’ awareness of menstruation as an independent variable and their liking of reusable pads as the dependent variable. This was done to determine whether post-intervention understanding of menstruation impacted the respondents’ liking of reusable pads. Another multiple regression analysis was carried out, using the sharing of their knowledge with other people and their understanding of menstruation as independent variables and their liking of reusable pads as the dependent variable. This was done to determine whether the respondents’ post-intervention Volume XXII Issue I Version I 34 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals C “Spot On & Off”: Evaluation of Effectiveness of Self-Formulated Menstrual Hygiene Campaign in Rural India