Support for menstrual health for girls in India

Hi friends,

Greetings from the Indian Dreams Foundation!

This week we have conducted an awareness generation workshop on menstrual hygiene management in an urban slum of Agra city, Uttar Pradesh, India. In this workshop, we taught adolescent girls about menstruation and its related issues. We informed them about how to track the menstrual cycle and aware them of the hygiene during the period days like how to clean a body, and private parts hygiene and how important to wear clean clothes during periods. And also informed them of the importance of healthy hand washing and hand washing steps to be followed to make your hands germs free.

The session was interactive as well as knowledgeable. Participants/ beneficiaries looked happy and excited to attend the workshop. More than 50 girls attended the workshop at IDF’s resource centre and received sanitary napkins.

One of the girls whose age was 17 years has shared her period’s story with the Smiley Days team;

Seema (name changed) said, “Before joining this program, I followed many rituals or customs during the menstruation time. When I had my periods, I did not go out of the home and the entire day I kept myself closed in my home even I did not go to school, I did not play with friends and I refused to talk with anyone, especially about my periods. I was confused that what was going on with me or thought I caught some infection or bad disease”.

She said, “But I thank the Smiley Days team who organize awareness classes for the girls like me and educate us about our periods. After getting knowledge about periods, I do not feel ashamed or hesitant as I used to. Now I do everything as I do on my regular days whether going to school or playing with my friends. I do not skip school. I follow all the hygiene practices during my periods to stay healthy and happy”.

Thank you so much for your support and for changing the lives of many adolescent girls in the slums.

Regards,

Team IDF