The Burdens Women Carry

The reality for women in many parts of the world is heartwrenching.  Muna Malla, the HealthEd Connect supervisor in Nepal, reports that horrific cultural beliefs are still being practiced in rural areas of Nepal.  During a girl's menstrual cycle and sometimes during childbirth, she is forced to live in the shed with the cows and sleep on the straw.  She is not allowed to see anyone from her family, touch anyone or go outside and see the sunshine in the daytime.  The young girls are so frightened that many times they do not sleep during the ordeal.  Muna further reports "many innocent girls and women are dying by snake bite, cold, etc."  This practice called "Chaupadi Pratha" was outlawed by the government in 2004 but is still widely practiced.  Our health workers are actively working to change beliefs but progress is slow.  In the meantime innocent young girls are suffering from the beliefs of their own culture.