By Jyoti Singh | Project Head
Dear Friends,
Wish you all a happy new year from the IDF Team and beneficiaries!
It is our pleasure to share our report on the progress of “Smiley Days Project”. Thank you for all your support, contribution and well wishes throughout the previous year that gave us the strength to move forward towards well being of the adolescent girls and women from underprivileged communities.We expect the same or more support this year also so that we can be able to reach out to the new communities with hope and motivation.
We are at Indian Dreams Foundation rigorously working to provide dignity to every girl and kindle the smiles on every girl’s face by providing them right knowledge & information about the periods.
In our last report, we mentioned that we introduced SMILEY KITS (includes sanitary pads, vaginal wash & panty) and SMILEY CARD that helps to maintain hygiene and stay healthy during the menstrual days. The project team has been busy in distributing kits and issuing Smiley Cards to the girls who are the part of the project. So far approx. 400 kits have distributed, and 250 cards have released to the girls.
We have designed the Smiley Card in such a way to track and monitor the monthly status of the girls during periods. Every girl who is registered under the project gets a Smiley Card that also connects her directly to our Expert Panel (Gynecologists & counsellors) for the consultation. The Smiley Card is monthly monitored by field staff and Smiley Girls Club which is assigned to all the partner schools.
We would like to share some comments of the beneficiaries during workshop & Smiley kit distribution sessions-
We have conducted many sessions in the partner schools where girls have shared their experience with our counsellors and team members that help us to know the real situation of the girls.
Some have much inspired and motivated by the project and transfer the same knowledge to the other girls who live in their neighbourhood.
Richa, 16 years, living in a slum of Agra says “Once I have attended a Smiley Days workshop which organized in my school. That day I realised the importance of toilet for every girl. I realised that this is not just a matter of hygiene but moreover this is the matter of DIGNITY for every girl. My parents did not give importance to the toilet that’s why the toilet was not at our home. My family comprises four females and two males. We used to do open defecation nearby the roadside.
Many times I assaulted by useless people, and I felt awkward to go outside for defecation. When I attended the workshop in my school, I told to my mother to build a toilet at home, but she refused to say that your father was not allowed to having a toilet at home. However, I did not stop to convince them. I started fasting for my dignity. Whole days passed but my father did not give me a positive sign when I refused to do any household work along with continues fasting.
Then finally, I convinced both of my parents to build a toilet. I feel happy to have a toilet at home. Now all the female members of my family are proudly managing their menstruation. I want to thanks, Indian Dreams Foundation for such a great project."
As the New Year has begun, we are excited to reach out to more girls and women through this project with your continuous support.
Again we wish you and your family a happy new year and this year will give you lot of happiness & wealth.
Do contribute to help us for the cause that can change the lives of underprivileged girls and women.
Warm Regards,
Indian Dreams Foundation
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