Support for menstrual health for girls in India

Dear friends,

Greetings from the Indian Dreams Foundation!

We are happy to share the progress report of the Smiley Days Project. The project addresses the menstrual hygiene management issues and well-being of adolescent girls. It is an important aspect of the life of women and adolescent girls between menarche and menopause. Despite being so the topic is often underestimated or even overlooked by society. In India, talking openly about periods is even forbidden. 

Indian Dreams Foundation's initiative SMILEY DAYS helps to break down the stigma surrounding girls' menstruation while educating girls and women on their changing bodies and providing a hygienic and conducive learning environment. 

Team Smiley Days regularly interact with many adolescent girls in schools and women in communities to discuss their issues and make this topic normal as any other topic.

Today we came up with a story of change under the Smiley Days Project;

Riya (name changed), a 14-year-old girl lives with her family in a slum of Agra. She is currently in the 6th standard. She feels very shy about answering questions on menstruation. She started her menstrual cycle at the age of 13. It happened quite naturally, she went to the washroom and observed the blood in her urine. She went all scared of her mother as she didn’t have any prior knowledge about menstruation. Her mother and teachers never educated her regarding this. Even when she went to her mother and informed her about the blood in her urine, her mother just handed her a piece of cloth as most women do in the absence of proper knowledge and her mother told her that as she is a girl and grown-up it was meant to happen, but keep it secret with other male members of the family. 
The piece of cloth that Riya’s mother gave her was torn and dirty.  
Riya used to use the piece of cloth until she was educated about the use of sanitary pads at Smiley Days Workshop which was organized in her school. Riya admitted that using pads relieved her from severe stomachache and itching. She said that she likes to sleep all day long during menstruation and her mother takes care of her during those five days by providing her milk and green vegetables.

Now Riya is mature enough to understand the benefits of the use of sanitary pads and maintain hygiene during periods and now she educates other girls in her school about using sanitary pads. 

Well, we proudly say that the SMILEY DAYS project is transforming lives of the girls and women.

Thank you so much for your support. 

Regards,

Team IDF