Kerala’s first tribal panchayat gets modern menstrual shelter for women

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, a modern rest facility for Muthuvan tribal women during menstruation has been constructed in Edamalakkudy, the State’s first tribal panchayat near Munnar. Named the ‘Women’s Empowerment Centre,’ the shelter was built in Thenparakudy — a remote tribal settlement — by IT firm Experion Technologies through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm, the Experion Foundation, under Project EDEM.

According to officials, the shelter provides a safer, cleaner, and more dignified space for women during menstruation — a time when members of the Muthuvan tribe traditionally stay away from their homes. Under community customs, women and girls are relocated to secluded huts known as Valaimapura during their periods. However, most settlements lack hygienic and secure structures, forcing women into substandard shelters for four days every month, and leading some girls and women to use contraceptive tablets to avoid periods altogether.

Relief for women

Officials said the new facility will provide immense relief to women. It is equipped with hygienic toilets, a kitchen, resting areas, sewing machines, a television with DTH connectivity, and storage space for handicrafts. “It has been envisioned as a place where women can rest in comfort, connect, engage in productive activities, and experience a greater sense of dignity, independence, and belonging,” an official said.

Suresh Panicker, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Experion Technologies, noted that the project was born out of a desire to understand the community’s unique challenges. “Project EDEM holds a very special place in our journey of compassionate service because it began with listening,” Mr Panicker said. “In 2023, during a back-to-school support initiative across tribal schools in Idukki, Edamalakkudy was the one place we could not directly reach because of poor road connectivity, forest-route restrictions, and complex permissions. That moment stayed with us and led us to listen more closely to the lived realities of the community,” he said.

He added that conversations with teachers and residents highlighted the difficult conditions women faced. “We realised that traditions rooted in generations cannot be approached with judgment or haste. But dignity can be introduced within tradition. That thought became the heart of Project EDEM,” said Mr Panicker.

The centre was inaugurated two days ago. “The opening of the first Women’s Empowerment Centre at Thenparakudy marks the beginning of a larger mission to create safer, more dignified, and more empowering spaces for women in the State’s first tribal panchayat,” an official stated.

The shelter was constructed through the Munnar Forest Development Agency under the Kerala Forest department, in association with the Edamalakkudy Vana Samrakshana Samithi.