When twelve-year-old Sapna got her first period, she thought it was because of the cold she had at the time. In another incident, a school-going girl had to use a handkerchief to restrict the period blood from soiling her clothes and she didn’t know whom to share it with. There are many more such cases still prevalent in every nook and corner of the country.
According to a study conducted by NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) in 2022, around 16 per cent of the 4,000 girls who participated in the survey did not know the correct cause of menstruation. As much as 61.4 per cent of them felt that there’s a sense of embarrassment surrounding the topic.
There are other studies suggesting that a significant number of people are still unaware of the basic menstrual hygiene practices, especially in the rural areas.
To address issues surrounding menstrual health, NGO WASH United initiated an annual World Menstrual Hygiene Day. The day is observed every year on May 28 by different countries and regions in the world. The objective is primarily to create awareness and to act to address the challenges and hardships faced by women and adolescent girls during menstruation.
On Tuesday, different organisations of Bengaluru stepped in to contribute to the cause in their own way and mark 10 years of World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Distribution Drives
The crowdfunding platform give.do in collaboration with Pinkishe foundation launched a monthly mission which is a fight against “period poverty” in the country. As a part of the initiative, free sanitary products, including reusable or disposable pads, leakproof pouches and panties are being distributed to underprivileged women and schoolgirls.
City-specific organisations also did their part with the MITU Foundation and the Indian Ploggers’ Army conducting a distribution drive at a settlement for underprivileged people in Jayanagar on May 26. Free hygiene kits were distributed that consisted of a bathing soap, a couple of panties and four reusable cloth pads.
Alongside the distribution, the team encouraged people to use sustainable methods of dealing with periods. “A lot of women do not know about the side effects of disposable pads on their health and the environment. Once they switch to the reusable ones, there is a direct positive impact on both. So, I wish to create more awareness about the same and I’d like to see more men joining the cause,” said G Nagaraj, founder of The Indian Ploggers’ Army who is also known as the Cupman of Bengaluru.
Awareness Sessions
To further propagate the agenda of sustainable menstruation, the Circular Waste Solutions (CWS) joined hands with GIZ Saahas and conducted an awareness session on May 27 at the Seshadripuram Educational Trust. The guest speaker included Dr Shanthi Tummala, founder of HSR Citizen Forum (HCF) and a consultant at Saahas.
Earlier this month, FLO, the women wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), also conducted an awareness programme on cervical cancer that is often an outcome of poor menstrual hygiene practices over the years.
Art for Impact
Moving away from the conventional ways of menstrual education, Uninhibited has come up with a unique approach to the topic. Engaging the audience in an artistic format, the organization is going to host an online meet up titled “Jash-e-Rang, Mahavari ke Sang” on the evening of May 30. The session will include a series of performers taking up different art forms like music and poetry to uphold a conversation around menstruation.
“This year, aligning with the theme of #PeriodFriendlyWorld and #PeriodFriendlyIndia, we chose to celebrate the Menstrual Hygiene Day through art, music and performances. Art is a powerful form of expression that can engage a wider audience and create a deeper connection with the message. This approach allows us to break down stigmas and have open conversations in a way that resonates with a diverse community,” said Shilpa, Design and Learning Development Manager at Uninhibited.
With a country as big as India, it often gets difficult to reach people from all parts of it. This is where the virtual presence comes in the picture. Taking into account the wide reach of virtual media, organisations such as Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), Bengaluru, are conducting online webinars to observe the Menstrual Hygiene Day.
A session was taken up by Anuradha Govind and Dr Shanthi Tummala to share the story of 50,000+ women in Siddipet who have been educated and motivated to shift to sustainable menstruation, as a part of the Ruthu Prema Campaign. The session was held on May 28.
Meaningful Conversations
During a conversation with a member from Uninhibited, it was found that after integrating Hello Saathi, their Menstrual Health Helpline, into Periodshala, their school behaviour change programme, they received about 3,000 calls from adolescent girls in 2023.
Notably, 80 per cent of these calls were about menstrual health issues such as cycle irregularities, heavy bleeding and missed periods. This reflects on the excessive need and importance of such conversation that goes two-ways, a member of the organisation said.
In a similar attempt, StoneSoup.in, along with Mahadevapura MLA Manjula Limbavalli, panchayat head Pavitra and a women self-help group Bharatambike started an initiative to combat ill-practices and taboo related to menstruation in and around Kannamangala Gram Panchayat on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Along with cup distribution, the team engages with every member and talks about the challenges they are facing. On the Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024, a feedback session was conducted to improve the efforts.
The initiative is not limited to Kannamangla anymore but has expanded to different regions and states. StoneSoup.in has also come up with the concept of ‘Period Parties’ and has been encouraging corporates, institutions and fellow citizens to initiate or become a part of it.
Co-founder of StoneSoup.in Malini Parmar said, “Periods are often seen as something negative and something that’s hated universally. However, one needs to understand it better and cherish it for what it means. Also, one can see it as a monthly health check-up as your period blood can tell you a lot about your health. The thickness, colour, amount and frequency – everything tells you about your bodily needs. So, an open and happy conversation around it can help a lot.”
Many other organisations, like Sakriya Charitable Trust that trains prisoners about menstrual health, World of Women (WoW), whose social media is flooded with conversations around menstruation, and United Way Bengaluru, that has a separate wing for education, also organised events on the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day. Individuals like Srinidhi SU and Dr Meenkashi Bharath also conduct similar awareness sessions throughout the year
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