Australia Awards South and West Asia

To mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we highlight the accomplishments of Australia Awards alumni Rana Jyoti Chakma and Purabi Khisa, who are using an Australia Awards Community Development Grant to produce biodegradable sanitary napkins to improve the menstrual health and hygiene of indigenous women.

Rana completed a Master of Computer Science at the University of New South Wales in 1993 with the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship. He now serves as the Chairman of Pro Better Life (PBL) Bangladesh, a social service enterprise. Purabi, who completed a postgraduate diploma in language education at Macquarie University in 1994, is currently an English Language Instructor at PBL.

Alumni Rana Jyoti Chakma (left) and Purabi Khisa (right) at a Pro Better Life event.

Menstrual hygiene management is a significant challenge for many indigenous women in Bangladesh, whether they live in remote communities or urban suburbs, due to political, economic and sociocultural factors. In 2023, Rana and Purabi were successful in their application for the Australia Awards Community Development Grant. Their grant-funded project focuses on producing low-cost biodegradable sanitary napkins for marginalised indigenous girls and women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as empowering such women through entrepreneurship training and fostering job creation.

“Many remote indigenous communities do not have access to clean water, functioning toilets and affordable sanitary products. With this grant, we aimed to assist indigenous communities in accessing period products to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women, leading to enhanced social and economic participation,” says Purabi.

To address logistical challenges and cultural sensitivities, Rana and Purabi focused on local partnerships and community engagement.

The alumni partnered with PBL Swasti Sanitary Napkins, a local community-based organisation, which will help them sustain their work following the completion of the grant. PBL Swasti Sanitary Napkins is committed to making affordable, hygienic sanitary napkins for rural girls and women in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. These biodegradable sanitary pads are made from materials that decompose naturally, such as organic cotton, reducing their environmental impact.

Rana (second from right) and Purabi (third from right) delivering an awareness session on the importance of hygienic menstruation in Rangamati Hill District.

“My Australian degree and 25 years of teaching and industry experience in New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates have broadened my perspective on making menstrual health hygiene pivotal through a holistic approach. I believe knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene is one of the most important aspects of tribal health,” Rana says.

To overcome cultural barriers and make the initiative more adaptable to the diverse sociocultural landscape of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the pair also engaged local influencers and community leaders such as Nirupa Dewan, a former headmaster and former member of the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission; Nuku Chakma, a development worker; Ashok Chakma, an Executive Director of Moanoghar, a non-governmental socio-educational and development organisation based in Rangamati Hill District; and Pratibha Chakma, a superintendent at a girls’ hostel in Rangamati.

On 7 May 2024, Rana and Purabi organised a workshop in Moanoghar to raise awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene practices for marginalised girls and women. This initiative raised awareness about menstrual health and hygiene practices, creating a more inclusive and supportive educational environment in the school. Students were informed about the current state of menstrual health and hygiene, especially in underprivileged areas, and were encouraged to end the taboo related to menstruation. The workshop included distribution of free sanitary napkins produced with the help of PBL Swasti Sanitary Napkins. Experienced trainers Princhi Chakma and Shailita Dewan, who conducted the workshops, highlighted the importance of menstrual hygiene and demonstrated practical usage.

“The main focus of our workshops is to create awareness about menstrual hygiene among indigenous communities and how to practice it using biodegradable sanitary napkins, which can be made easily at home. The workshop also provided a platform for open discussion about the myths and taboos surrounding menstrual hygiene,” says Rana.

An awareness session on the importance of hygienic menstruation to rural women in Rangamati Hill District.

On 23 May 2024, Rana and Purabi also provided a session in the Chittagong Hill Tracts that offered marginalised women training on becoming entrepreneurs in the sanitary napkin business. Twenty-five women from different communities attended the training. They were taught how to manufacture biodegradable sanitary napkins, set up a small factory for commercial purposes, sell and market their products, and manage funds as entrepreneurs. The training concluded with a Q&A session.

This opportunity to develop the capacity of young entrepreneurs to make low-cost biodegradable sanitary pads was crucial in both improving their livelihoods and ensuring sustainable health. Rana is hopeful that a group of young women from the indigenous community will emerge as innovative entrepreneurs to produce reusable biodegradable sanitary pads.

While these initiatives are commendable, the protection of indigenous women’s rights still faces significant challenges, including stereotypes and discrimination. The empowerment of indigenous women and protection of their rights remain critical issues, which will need to be addressed holistically through awareness-raising campaigns, training and other support activities.

“One of the protection components is to empower women and girls through menstrual hygiene solutions. If menstrual health and hygiene is well-managed from the start, it has a surprisingly high potential to contribute to increasing female empowerment at a critical stage of a girl’s life,” says Purabi.