Believe it or not, period poverty and lack of awareness of menstrual hygiene are real. Illiteracy, poverty and lack of awareness are the major reasons behind menstruation still being taboo in Indian society. Cultural and social norms in our society create huge barriers to ensuring that adolescent girls are given genuine knowledge of menstrual hygiene. The ones who are aware of it are not open to talking about it. Those who purchase their own sanitary products are all too familiar with their products being wrapped in paper to “shield” the public from any knowledge of the existence of a period.

Even today many girls use unhygienic materials like cloth, grass, newspapers etc which increases the risk of contracting infections. According to Menstrual Hygiene brand Whisper and UNESCO, the global pandemic has forced girls to abandon sanitary napkins for menstrual pads made of cloth, which has raised the spectre of a looming health hazard. Adding to the misery, the lack of menstrual hygiene education in India is also impacting 23 million girls dropping out of school. It is estimated that over 80% of all women in India do not have access to sanitary products during menstruation.

Youngistaan FoundationS’(YF) mission is to raise awareness of gender issues and bring it out in the open. Through our programs, we teach young girls that their menstrual cycles are natural, a sign of good reproductive health and are something they have in common with girls in countries worldwide! We also hold sessions with the mothers of the girls to bring the topic of menstruation out into the open, allow them to ask questions and look at menstruation for the natural and healthy process it is.

For every 35 Rupees that you donate, we will purchase a packet of sanitary napkins that contain 8 pads. This packet of sanitary napkins will be distributed for free to girls in Govt. schools, slums, orphanages in the age group of 12 to 20. We would need your help to reach 15,000 girls with sanitary products this year.

BUDGET:
RS 35/- (EACH SANITARY NAPKIN) x 15,000 = 5,25,000/-.
Miscellaneous (Transport, Chocolates, Printing Cost-Awareness Handouts etc) = 75,000/-

The Youngistaan Foundation’s Gender Equality program is a gender-awareness and empowerment program that aims to build safe spaces of dialogue, engage with and empower adolescent girls in low-income schools, Government schools and colleges and slums. It sparks and sustains crucial conversations on female teen health and sanitation, taboos and myths, the gender gap in education and the right to safety. If you are interested to know more about the Gender Equality project of Youngistaan Foundation, we would love to hear your queries and respond to them!

Youngistaan Foundation is one of India’s largest volunteer-driven organizations based in Hyderabad in India that works across India to address issues through multiple programs that address: youth nurturing, homelessness, poverty, education inequity, gender inequality, taboos on menstruation, emergency responses, animal rights, active citizen and other issues. The active programs are connected to 7 UN SDGs. Registered in 2014, Youngistaan Foundation provides a platform for 70,000+ young people to connect with other socially aware individuals and effect real change in our neighbourhoods and communities through our programs as volunteers.