Total Menstrual Health Management

International Menstrual Hygiene Day was celebrated by VYOMINI SOCIAL ENTERPRISE from 1st May to 31st May 2018. In a month-long celebration VYOMINI marked a wide range of activities to celebrate International Menstrual Hygiene Day 2018.

Awareness Program

In Haryana: – Most intensive blocks of Haryana state selected to penetrate the menstrual hygiene awareness, in a conservative society organizing awareness program was not easy but VYOMINI done advocacy with all stakeholders like Panchayat, Woman and Child Development Department, district administration, field level workers, NGOs, school teachers etc. With the contribution of all stakeholders we have conducted awareness workshop in the 20 blocks of Haryana, 1000 health champions created under training of trainer program, these trainers visited 100 more women to impart the training.

In Hyderabad: With collaboration Mrs. India Rumana Singh Sehgal MH awareness program organized along with pad manufacturing information and training, It is observed that accessibility of sanitary pads to all women is still an issue. Biodegradable sanitary pad named RAKSHAK launched on 27th May in Hyderabad by Mrs. India Rumana. Around 100 women from all ages participated in the menstrual health awareness session.

In Mumbai: – In association with civil society organization, awareness campaign organized at New Bombay and Mahalakshmi with construction workers. Biodegradable sanitary pads distributed after the program. Women were mobilized to shift from non-biodegradable sanitary pads to biodegradable one. They learnt the consequence of menstrual waste disposal and role of sanitary pads users in it.

In Delhi: – Awareness workshop organized with 300 orphanage home girls at Vidya Arya Mandir, they leant Yoga Asana to deal with menstrual process related issues, how to make sterilized pads, myth and taboos related to menstrual hygiene and importance of menstrual hygiene in the overall development of a girl. These young girls shared issues and stigma they have encountered while menstruation. Women and girls who attended the session were also forthcoming about their personnel experience.
The other event was organized with female belonging to age group 25 to 45. A special yoga training organized for them to deal with irregular periods and menopause issues. Besides this they were also oriented about sterilized pad making and starting enterprise for the same. Both the event organized with the support of Honorable Member of Parliament Smt. Meenakshi lekhi

In Uttar Pardesh:- In the Mathura district of Uttar Pardesh awareness workshop organized with woman , their myth and taboos breached with the help of scientific facts. It is shared that Menstruating woman were not discriminated during Vedic time, therefore we should not belief superstitions and wrong practices.

In Orissa: – In Association with Big Beauty Mart a company that market female hygiene products supported to conduct awareness workshop at Aginia(Bhubaneswar). In this session educated women discussed their issues related to menstrual process with the gynecologist. They shared that they do not have confidence and support to discuss these issues.

Final event

27th May, 2018, Hon’ble Member of Parliament and senior BJP leader, Ms Meenakshi Lekhi launched a campaign “Green Menstruation” The event was held at Arya Auditorium at East of Kailash in Delhi with collaboration Arya Vidya Mandir.
Prominent sustainability activist Sadhvi Jaya Bharti, entrepreneurship mentor Dr R. K. Chandra from NIESBUD, a large number of volunteers, NGOs and school girls also graced the event with their presence. While launching the campaign,

Ms Lekhi highlighted that hazardous plastic sanitary napkins are adding to the woes of ocean plastic pollution and disturbing the entire food chain. She said that natural resources such as earth, ocean and air are the basis of human survival and they have no right to degrade the environment.

On social taboos Honorable MP shared that India is the only country where Bleeding Goddess (Kamakhya Devi) is celebrated, therefore taboos and stigmas are created by human, Indian Culture do not support such taboos, adding to this, she emphasized that we have to look back our vedic past where menstruating woman was not treated impure, isolated etc.

Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi lauded team VYOMINI, for promoting an issue, which has been considered a taboo. She said the fact that ‘Rakshak’(Sanitary Pad) is being produced without plastic and with the help of women workers who belong to economically weaker sections, makes this enterprise already a winner. She said it is no less of an achievement that as a society we are talking about periods openly in a mixed audience and a young woman is leading the way.

Ms. Lekhi congratulated the entire team of Vyomini and wished them a great success for their future endeavors. She assured them all possible cooperation for promoting the cause of menstrual health and woman entrepreneurs to take the Green Menstruation worldwide. Ms Lekhi said world over, the solutions to beat plastic pollutions are being looked out. She was elated that organization like Vyomini has come up with an answer.

On the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day, PastiSePad Campaign was also launched- where Vyomini will be collecting old newspapers and magazines, sell them to scraps dealers, and use the money to make menstrual hygiene material available to needy women.