For 46-year-old Mintu Devi, the flood has changed the meaning of ordinary things.
Clean water. A bar of soap. A bathroom. A fresh pair of clothes.
In Uchit Babu Tola in Bihar’s Begusarai, floodwater surrounds homes. In some places, the water is dirty and carries a foul smell. Clean drinking water is difficult to access, and sanitation has become another daily worry.
“The situation is very difficult. The floodwater around us is dirty, and there is a bad smell in many places. Access to clean drinking water is also a major problem,” Mintu tells The Better India.
Now imagine getting your period here.
You need a sanitary pad, clean water to wash yourself, a private place to change and somewhere safe to dispose of the used pad. For many women and girls living through Bihar’s floods, each of these has become difficult to access.
As of 23 September, around 50.49 lakh people across 15 districts had been affected by the floods, with 576 gram panchayats inundated, according to the Bihar Disaster Management Department.
Behind that number are families trying to do very ordinary things in extraordinary circumstances: bathe, wash clothes, use a toilet, keep children clean, protect themselves from mosquitoes and manage menstruation safely.
The Better India has joined hands with DonateKart to support Parmartha – A Hand For You Foundation in reaching flood-affected families with 500 hygiene kits. The campaign aims to raise Rs 305,000.
Each kit can help put sanitary pads, soap, detergent, underwear, disinfectant, mosquito protection and clean drinking water within reach of a family that needs them.
Your contribution can help 500 families get through these difficult days with the basic hygiene essentials they need.
When getting your period becomes a crisis
For 22-year-old Sheetal Kumari, who lives in the affected area, the difficulty of managing a period begins with the lack of clean water, sanitation and privacy. “During menstruation, the lack of sanitary products, clean water and proper private spaces makes the situation especially difficult,” she says.
Anjali Mishra, a field volunteer with Parmartha – A Hand For You Foundation, sees the same problem on the ground.
When families are displaced or living in temporary arrangements, women and adolescent girls may lose access to private toilets and spaces to change. A sanitary pad helps only when there is also water to wash, a private place to use it and a safe way to dispose of it.
As of 23 September, around 50.49 lakh people across 15 districts had been affected by the floods, with 576 gram panchayats inundated. Photograph: (IANS)
“Privacy is a major issue,” Anjali says. Disposal is difficult too. In places without proper facilities, used sanitary products may be discarded in or around floodwater.
For a woman or girl who gets her period during a flood, a pad, clean underwear, soap and water can determine how safely and comfortably she gets through the next few days.
If you choose to donate, you can help put these essentials within reach of women and girls living through the floods.
‘The nearest major market is 30 km away’
For families in the affected area, buying these everyday essentials can involve another challenge: reaching them.
According to Anjali, the nearest major market in Begusarai is around 30 kilometres from the affected area.
“Availability in the market does not necessarily mean accessibility for flood-affected families,” she says.
Mintu lists what people around her need: clean drinking water, bathing soap, detergent, disinfectant, sanitary pads, underwear, basic clothing, mosquito nets and repellents. At home, these may be routine purchases. During a flood, wet clothes, contaminated water, flooded roads and displacement can turn them into urgent needs.
A woman may run out of pads. A child may need clean clothes. A family sleeping near stagnant water may need a mosquito net before nightfall.“Because people are living in difficult and temporary conditions, maintaining basic hygiene has become very difficult,” Mintu says.
Your contribution can help bring these basic supplies directly to families who may otherwise have to travel long distances to buy them.
What will each hygiene kit provide?
Each hygiene kit costs roughly Rs 610 and includes essentials such as sanitary pads, soap, detergent, underwear, disinfectant, mosquito protection and clean drinking water.
A contribution of around Rs 610 can help put these everyday essentials within reach of one flood-affected family.
For children, the need is equally urgent.
“Children are facing difficulties in accessing basic hygiene products and clean-living conditions,” Anjali says. “Soap, clean clothes, clean water and child-specific supplies such as diapers may not be readily available.”
Parmartha – A Hand For You Foundation is working across flood-affected areas including Patna, Hajipur, Vaishali, Sonpur, communities along the Ganga and parts of Begusarai. Its volunteers have carried out four relief activities so far, with teams of around 40 volunteers working in different areas depending on need and availability.
The Better India and DonateKart are supporting the organisation in raising Rs 305,000 for 500 hygiene kits.
Think of what one of those kits can mean at the end of a long flood-hit day.
A woman has a pad and clean underwear when her period arrives. A child has soap and clean water. A family has a mosquito net before they sleep. Someone who has spent the day walking through dirty floodwater can finally wash.
These are small parts of everyday life. Right now, they can bring safety, comfort and dignity to families trying to find their way through a disaster.
Help us reach 500 flood-affected families in Bihar. Your contribution can put essential hygiene supplies into the hands of a family that needs them today.
