World over, World Menstrual Hygiene Day was observed on May 28. Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global platform to promote Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). MH Day was calendar marked to raises awareness of the challenges women and girls worldwide face due to their menstruation. In May 2013, WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) United pioneered May #MENSTRAVAGANZA, a 28-day social media campaign dedicated to Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
Volunteers and organisations who lead the Menstrual Hygiene movement, however, say a single day is not enough; it is an ongoing process even though women themselves ‘think’ they are aware of the topic of mensuration. Some volunteers also opine, contrary to the belief that it is the rural women who are in the dark when it comes to Menstrual Hygiene Management, women in urban areas too aren’t really aware.
City-based Youngistaan Foundation (YF) decided to bring the topic out in public. “The agenda is to see men and women talk about Menstrual Hygiene in public and stop treating it like a taboo or disease. It’s high time as youngsters we reach out to people and society to create awareness about Menstrual Hygiene at various places. The Women of Courage Program from our foundation celebrated the day by using art to create and spread awareness,” says YF founder Arun Daniel Yelamaty.
YF had slam poetry by three young girls followed by two stand up acts. This was followed by distribution of 20,000 napkins as part of their Menstrual Hygiene awareness sessions conducted every Saturday at various government and private schools, slums, colleges and orphanages.
This is what WASH, as a movement, envisioned too — to act as a catalyst for a growing global movement.
So were you wondering, ‘why May 28?’ According to WASH United’s website, “May is the fifth month of the year, representing five days, or the average number of days (between two and seven) a woman or girl menstruates each month. And 28 represents the average number of days in a menstrual cycle.”
Health matters
Broadly speaking, MH Day doesn’t talk about period management. It brings to fore the health complications one might face due to poor personal hygiene. Good Universe, founded by social entrepreneur Kamal Nayak, is a society of social workers, professionals and healthcare specialists whom he came across during his internship for a social programme; he also came across women in a slum in Hyderabad who would sit near an open-drainage system in order not to dirty their ‘living’ areas.
“I also found that women used dirty rags because they thought that’s what should be done with ‘dirty’ things. A huge step had to be taken and I couldn’t have done without the help of government health workers, volunteers and doctors. To improve the health standards, our initiatives must target both the careseekers and care providers. We empower women in informal and formal settlement communities by helping them become a catalyst of change and collaborate with existing public health systems and healthcare providers to create sustainable improvements in public health,” says Kamal.
The daunting task: Menstrual Hygiene is not possible unless the surroundings are kept clean. “So, we had to tackle environment in which they were living and eventually also educate them about sanitation pads that don’t harm the environment,” adds Kamal.
While MH Day is aimed to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) plays, environment-minded volunteers like to club the movement with sustainable mensuration.
For Tanvi Johri, co-founder of natural fibre sanitary napkin company Carmesi, menstrual hygiene is also about the environment, “We, along with other brands I know of, are working towards making the packaging of our products more biodegradable. It takes years for a non-natural fibre pad to degrade but if it’s wrapped in non-biodegradable material, that hinders the process. By avoiding the use of such plastics, we contribute to the betterment of the environment, and as creators, it’s our dutiful responsibility.”
Taking small steps in her own way, Priyanka Jain, founder of Hygiene And You, says, “The aim is to make the red, green. Managing periods is no easy task. Add to it the responsibility of not contributing to environmental pollution. While I may sound archaic, cloth pads are my way of protecting the environment. They are economical and safe. The other alternative is to shift to menstrual cup.”
Today (June 5) is World Environment Day and it’s never too late to discuss menstrual hygiene; so let’s do it responsibly and collaboratively.
