Rupa’s mission to break taboos: Bihar’s own pad‑woman
Rupa Kumari’s journey as a Peer Educator in Bihar highlights the powerful role that young people can play in transforming the health of their communities. With a focus on menstrual hygiene and newborn care, Rupa is breaking long-held silences around women’s health, championing gender-sensitive practices, and supporting girls and families with the knowledge and resources to build a healthier and more equitable future.
In the heart of her village in Bihar, India, 22-year-old Rupa Kumari emerges as a local champion catalyzed by the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) program, dedicating herself to the noble causes of improving newborn care and menstrual health. Her journey within the program began with her training as a Peer Educator.
Breaking the Silence: Tackling Menstrual Stigma Through Community Action
Rupa’s involvement with RKSK acted as a catalyst, awakening her passion for addressing critical health issues affecting vulnerable populations in her village. Inspired by the program’s objectives, she took the lead in establishing a Pad Bank in her community, recognizing the pressing need to address menstrual health challenges faced by adolescent girls and women in her community.
The Pad Bank became a vital resource, providing affordable and accessible sanitary pads to those who might otherwise not be able to access them. Rupa’s initiative not only tackled the issue of menstrual hygiene, but also dismantled social taboos surrounding the topic. This led to more open conversations about reproductive sexual health within the community. Since 2021, Rupa has successfully provided over 230 pads to women in her community.
How Rupa Champions Gender-Sensitive Care
Her active participation as a Peer Educator led to her recognition as an “Adolescent Girl Champion” in EngenderHealth’s Adolescent Girl Champion (AGC) initiative. The AGC initiative, supported by UNICEF India and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, aimed to enhance the survival of newborn girls by engaging adolescent girls in the Sitamarhi District of Bihar.
Over 1,005 Peer Educators were trained to support Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) by providing proper information on newborn care also focusing on gender sensitivity. Today, the initiative’s lasting impact remains evident as parents continue to seek out Peer Educators for advice on providing proper care for their newborns.
Through her participation during the program, Rupa visited all of the houses in her village that had newborn girls and shared information on newborn care and practices. Her involvement in the initiative not only boosted her own knowledge on newborn care, but also allowed her to meaningfully engage with her community and improve health outcomes.
“Periods, pads, and bodily changes in women are natural. These discussions shouldn’t be restricted to within the four walls of our house.”
From Peer Educator to Trusted Health Advocate
Rupa’s commitment to newborn and menstrual health, as catalyzed by the RKSK program, is a shining example of grassroots initiatives driving positive change. Through the Pad Bank and as an Adolescent Girl Champion, Rupa has not only addressed immediate health needs but has also sown the seeds for a more informed and empowered community. Her endeavors underline the transformative power of local champions and community-driven initiatives in fostering holistic wellbeing in even the most underserved regions.
Rupa may be one young woman from Dumra Village, but her leadership resonates far beyond. Her journey proves that when girls are provided knowledge, supported by their communities, and given the tools to lead, they become catalysts for lasting change.
By investing in youth-driven initiatives like EngenderHealth’s youth engagement and leadership programs, we can create a future where every adolescent girl has the opportunity, voice, and confidence to shape her own health and wellbeing.
Learn more about other inspiring youth leaders in Tarunya’s Legacy: 14 Portraits of Health, Hope and Change for Bihar’s Adolescents.