Break the Silence on Menstruation
My name is Saakshi Chugh. I am a Lawyer and a Language Instructor for French. I am from Kanpur and I have been living in Noida for the last 4 years. During my law school I participated in Mock Parliament held at my college where students of other colleges have also participated and there I came across a girl who told me about an organisation who works for Menstrual Health and Hygiene. Hearing about this field of work interested me a lot as these workshops hold utmost importance in women’s life in terms of Health and Hygiene therefore I decided to volunteer with Baala.
I met Parul Kamra who is the Communications and Outreach Lead at Project Baala. She told me all about the workshops, its training process and I underwent training under her wherein I was explained how to speak in the sessions. This training was given through Google Meet where I was taught how to speak, how to communicate with girls who would hesitate in talking about this topic so how sensitive this communication has to take place. I was taught about myths and taboos, about consent and choices. I was given a demonstration about the Baala pad as to how to explain it to the girls. After the training session I was given a script that mentioned the entire narration that easily explained to the girls all about menstrual hygiene and health. The script is beautifully written! Training is important because it is a very sensitive topic and girls are not comfortable talking so, training helps in knowing all the do’s and don’ts before taking the workshops.
I chose to volunteer for menstrual health because 70% of people are not aware about menstrual hygiene practices and Baala aims to provide access to affordable and sustainable menstrual hygiene products and workshops to every school and villages educating about entire process of menstruation and breaking all the myths and the taboos. Working with Project Baala was a realistic experience. I was overwhelmed while attending workshops with Baala. Women across our country holding the majority of the rural population are not even aware about menstrual hygiene, its myths, consent, and choices.
I worked with Baala in Delhi and Noida in schools with 900 girls and attended 4 workshops educating girls about periods, its myths, choices and privileges.
I was completely overwhelmed by being a part of these workshops for the girls aged 12–15 years and indulging with them in healthy conversations about periods. The overwhelming response by the girls in these workshops was applaudable. Their eagerness in asking the questions about menstrual health and hygiene and to participate in games organised by the Baala team shows their interest in the workshops and importance of menstrual health and hygiene.
Education has always played a vital role in impacting the future of our country. Menstrual health education also plays a vital role in educating women about what it is to have a period and how to feel about yourself and how to maintain hygiene. It is also a sign of strength. I would like to quote “Keep menstrual hygiene right, to make your future bright”.
By attending the workshops I felt like everyone should break free from the period shame, use the Baala reusable pads and know its do’s and don’ts.
About the Author
Hello everyone, I’m Saakshi Chugh. I am a Lawyer. I have recently completed my studies at Amity Law School, Noida. In addition to my legal profession, I also work as a part-time French instructor, holding a Delf A1 certification. Currently, I am diligently preparing for my A2 certification as well. I have a passion for painting and enjoy playing badminton.
