Desher Kaj
School toilets and a menstrual hygiene corner
Cleaning and small repairs to a school’s toilets (water, soap, a door latch, a lidded bin), and a corner for girls’ menstrual needs, in a woman teacher’s care.
Area
Jamalpur
People
6 people
Time
About 8 hours
Difficulty
Medium
About this task
On a holiday, the boys’ and girls’ toilets of one school scrubbed clean, and the small missing things found: a door latch, bucket and mug, soap, a lidded bin in the girls’ toilet. And a shelf in the women teachers’ room (clean pads, soap, paper bags) so that no girl has to go home when she needs them at school. Last, an upkeep roster agreed with the school.
Why it matters
Without water, soap and a latch, children drink little all day and avoid the toilet. Without a clean place and the things they need, staying at school on their period days is hard for girls. Many girls learn nothing about menstruation before their first period, which leaves fear and shame.
What changes after
Every toilet clean, with water, soap and a latch; a lidded bin in the girls’ toilet; a shelf of supplies in the women teachers’ room; an upkeep roster on the wall.
Who can join
Anyone for the cleaning; for the girls’ corner and talk, only women volunteers, a woman teacher or a woman health worker.
Step by step
- 1Done
Sit with the head teacher and a woman teacher90 min
Written permission; a list of what is missing: water, soap, latch, light, bin. A woman teacher in charge of the girls’ part.
- 2Done
Clean the toilets and make small repairs240 min
On a holiday, in empty toilets. Brushes and cleaner; latch, bucket and mug, soap; a lidded bin in the girls’ toilet.
- 3Done
The girls’ corner and a talk90 min
A shelf in the teachers’ room with clean pads, soap and paper bags. A girls-only talk by a woman teacher or health worker; only women volunteers present.
- 4Done
A roster for upkeep60 min
Who cleans when, who brings soap and pads: written with the school and put on the wall.
Checklist to get ready
- Gloves and masks · জনপ্রতি ১টি করে
- Brushes and toilet cleaner · প্রতি টয়লেটে ১ সেট
- Lidded bins · ২টি
- Sanitary pads (donated, new) · কয়েক প্যাকেট
When it counts as done
- Before and after photos of each toilet, empty: water, soap and latch visible
- The upkeep roster, signed by the head teacher
Proof required: Before photo, After photo, Document
⚠ Safety
Photograph toilets only when empty; never photograph the girls’ talk. Never mix two kinds of cleaner.
What it costs
| Gloves and masks | 6 people | ৳80–150 |
| Toilet brushes and cleaner | 4 sets | ৳250–450 |
| Door latches and screws | 4 | ৳60–150 |
| Buckets and mugs | 4 sets | ৳150–300 |
| Lidded bins | 2 | ৳250–500 |
| Soap and sanitary pads (nothing if given in kind) | About a month’s worth | ৳0–1,500 |
| Total (about) | ৳3,000–7,000 | |
Getting ready, step by step
10 days before
Sit with the head teacher and a woman teacher; get written permission.
Walk the toilets and list what is missing: water, soap, latch, light, bin.
3 days before
Buy or gather the things as gifts in kind; keep receipts.
Fix the day of the girls’ talk with the woman teacher.
On the day
Take before photos of the empty toilets, then clean and repair.
Set up the supplies shelf in the women teachers’ room.
The month after
Return to see whether the roster is kept and soap and pads are stocked.
Who does what
- Lead (1): Speaks with the school, holds the permission, keeps time. — ____________
- Cleaning and repairs (4): Scrubbing, fitting latches, placing buckets, mugs and bins. — ____________
- The girls’ corner (a woman volunteer) (1): Sets up the shelf and arranges the talk with the woman teacher. — ____________
- Photos and records (1): Photos with consent, lists, receipts, handing in the proof. — ____________
The day, hour by hour
- 08:30Gather, gloves and masks, safety talk (never mix cleaners).
- 09:00Before photos of the empty toilets.
- 09:15Scrub and wash, windows open.
- 11:30Latches, buckets and mugs, soap, bins in place.
- 12:30Shelf set up in the teachers’ room; roster on the wall.
- 13:00After photos, the head teacher’s signature, done.
What can go wrong, and what to do
- Fumes from cleaners → Never mix two cleaners; keep doors and windows open; step into fresh air if unwell.
- Dirty again within days → Write the roster and the cleaner’s hours with the school; come back after a month.
- Discomfort or gossip about the girls’ part → Everything through the woman teacher; no men in that part; the head teacher answers parents’ questions.
Useful numbers
- 16263Shasthya Batayon: a doctor on the phone
- 1098Child helpline
Questions people ask
- Can men and boys take part?
- Yes, in cleaning and repairs. The girls’ corner and talk are in women’s hands only.
- Where does the money for pads come from?
- No money is raised on this site. Take new packets as gifts in kind from people you know, or ask the school committee to keep them stocked.
- Can I join if I cannot stay the whole time?
- Yes. Say in your request which step or which hours you can do. The lead will give that step to you.