Ekya Foundation collaborated with the Jindal School of Psychology and Counseling of O.P. Jindal Global University conducted a menstrual pad drive by the name of ‘Periods of Hope’, which consisted of three days of pad collection and one day of distribution in a school of a rural village named Mandori in Haryana.

In both rural and urban India, the menstrual cycle poses significant challenges, albeit in distinct ways. Limited awareness, inadequate sanitation facilities, and social stigmas persist in rural areas, hindering women's health. Meanwhile, urban regions grapple with issues like period poverty and access to affordable menstrual hygiene products, emphasizing the widespread societal impact. Menstrual cycles in India are often shrouded in taboo, contributing to silence and stigma. Cultural norms and misconceptions perpetuate this secrecy, hindering open dialogue and impending menstrual health awareness.

In the wake of this issue, Ekya Foundation took its first initiative in this village and conducted a drive, ‘Periods of Hope’ aimed to bring a positive change in the lives of the underprivileged girls living in a rural village who are not exposed to hygienic or accessible facilities for developing and maintaining menstrual hygiene in rural areas. In rural areas of India, women and girls often encounter significant challenges related to menstrual health. Limited access to sanitary products, inadequate sanitation facilities, and prevailing taboos contribute to their struggles. The lack of awareness and education on menstrual hygiene exacerbates the issue, affecting not only physical well-being but also perpetuating societal stigmas surrounding menstruation.

The students in the university who are a part of Ekya Foundation as well as the Community Outreach Program actively participated in the conduction of the drive and the cause. As an initiative taken during the mental health week in the University, the volunteers set up a stall for the collection of the sanitary pads for three continuous days and were able to collect 297 packets with 6-7 pads each, 5 packets with 20 pads each, 2 packets with 16 pads each, 8 packets of 18 pads each, 3 packets of 40 pads each, 1 packet of 14 pads, 1 packet of 10 pads and 1 packet of 4 XXXL pads successfully. The individuals in the university positively responded to the initiative and supported the foundation for the cause. Pamphlets were designed by the volunteers for the distribution day as well which contained crucial information related to periods such as what periods are, why and how do they occur, what are the myths related to menstruation and what is the biological process of it with the help of small illustrations in English as well as Hindi both for the benefit of the target population who would be given the pamphlets along with the sanitary pads. 21 volunteers from Ekya and COP were taken to a girls’ school in the village of Mandori for the distribution of the pads and discussing on the importance of menstrual hygiene. The volunteers were assigned to each section of classes from 6th to 12th grade in pairs and talked on a range of topics to the students. Considering menstruation is treated as a taboo in the Indian society, it was very crucial to make the students comfortable to talk about it openly in front of the group of girls hence, the sessions started with brief introductions to make the students comfortable in talking about it and moved on to asking them about their present knowledge regarding the topic. The volunteers explained the process of menstruation, debunked some myths related to periods such as not entering temples, not looking into pickle jars and not washing hair during menstruation, then talked about their personal incidents to the students as well as encouraged them to talk about theirs too, to which

they positively responded. The students were asked questions such as, "What are some myths related to menstruation that you have heard in your household?", "What are the type of pads used by the women in your household?", "What are some of your personal experiences related to periods and who do you usually choose to confide in?". Some replies to the questions asked were, "We experience immense pain during our periods and experience mood swings as well", "We confide to our mothers and sometimes even consult the doctors available to us when needed", "In our houses, we do not touch pickle jars or wash our hair as it is considered to not be good while we menstruate". When girls felt uneasy to take initiative to answer, they would agree with the volunteers or the students who would share similar experiences as them. Furthermore, the importance of menstrual hygiene was discussed in detail and how menstrual pads are helpful in maintaining the hygiene followed by the demonstration of how the pads are used and disposed after use. The usage and disposal of cloth pads were also discussed and talked about for the benefit of those girls who still find using cloth pads more comfortable. Lastly, the pamphlets designed by the volunteers were distributed along with 2 packets of menstrual pads with 7 pads each to all students. The communication between the volunteers and the girls helped bridge the gap and facilitate the talks on an issue as important as menstrual health which needs to reach all women specially in a country where education on a topic like this is often scrapped off or skipped when it comes in the syllabus. Hence, it holds immense importance. Overall, it was a rewarding experience for both the students as well as the volunteers as the interaction bound them closer and helped understand the importance of the problems faced by the students better.

~ Ritisha Sharma and Divya Mantri