Dear Donors,

Thank you for being an amazing support and helping the girls in the tribal areas of Sukma. We have an extremely positive update to share with you all.

With the help of your contribution, in November 2016, Shiksharth successfully distributed sanitary napkins to 1000 girls in Sukma. The distribution was carried out in five schools - Pota Cabin Chhindgarh, Pota Cabin Kumharraas, Pota Cabin Murtonda, Kasturba Gandhi Kanya Vidyalaya Sukma and ‘Saakaar' Gyanodaya Kanya Parisar.

"We cannot afford the napkins, and now we have got this for the whole year. We are all happy because now we don’t have to skip school during our periods," says Gangotri, a student from Murtonda Pota Cabin.

A few teachers stated that at such affordable prices, the quality of the pads is very good. Many young tribal female staff used pads for the first time and could experience how hygiene leads to a healthier life.

At Kasturba Gandhi Kanya Vidyalaya

A more significant change has been observed in the female staff in these residential schools, who were earlier unable to provide the right guidance to the girls. Because of better experiences, they are now able to deliver proper guidance, thereby ensuring healthy results in the future.

Here is a small message from Shiksharth:

“We are Shiksharth. We have been working in tribal region for 5 years with core focus on classroom learning. However, we have always been worried about the girl child and the health issues they face. It is painful to see how, due to lack of awareness, accessibility and affordability of menstrual product, many hazardous practices are prevalent in communities and residential schools. Imagining the same girls will be mothers tomorrow makes it look like a vicious circle. Unfortunately, there are no organisations working on menstrual health in this part of the country. With your support, we have tried a small pilot to see how impactful it can be and it has been really encouraging and gave us a confidence to pursue this issue further.