Menstruation is one of the oldest and most far-reaching taboos. Especially in India and across South Asia, the reluctance to speak about periods is widespread, resulting in worryingly low education and awareness – particularly among the demographic of adolescent girls, of whom India has some 120 million. A recent study for Menstrual Hygiene Day reported that 1 out of 3 school girls across South Asia was not aware of periods before experiencing one for the first time, and only 2.5% of the same group knew that menstrual blood came from the uterus.  If menstrual hygiene is not given importance,  it will raise the risk of reproductive infections and affect the health of millions of girls who are unaware of the stark consequences.

Therefore, to realize the importance of Menstrual education , series of phase wise menstrual modules were undertaken at Protsahan to impart the necessary knowledge about Menstruation. Also, initiating interactive discussions helped to bust the myths and taboos related to Menstruation and thereby broadened the knowledge of girls.

Phase 1:  KOMAL – A film on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) – Hindi  by CHILDLINE India Foundation,(NGO) in India that operates a telephone helpline called Childline, for children in distress was shown to the girls by sharing real life stories. It explains the concept of safe and unsafe touch, so that they can be better equipped to protect themselves and take help from trusted adults if ever caught in a similar situation. An open and safe space was provided to discuss the magnitude of the problem and conceptualize suitable solutions.  It was imperative to address the issue by using the visual media to clearly convey the message and build understandability.

Phase 2:  Using the Hello Periods! (Hindi) – Menstrupedia Menstrual Awareness Workshop Video , an open source by Menstrupedia to spread the knowledge of periods.

In order to break the silence and the stigma attached to this forbidden word, a session as a part of  ‘Project Light Bulb’ instituted by Protsahan India Foundation was conducted by Sakshi, an expert volunteer and our fabulous grassroot teacher Payal.  Using technology and storytelling as a learning tool, the topic was discussed with the help of Menstrupedia Hindi YouTube Tutorial Video and Menstrupedia Comic which is a colorful, fun and accessible guide to menstruation, following the journey of three young girls and their experiences with periods. Each character represents a stage of adolescence — girls who haven’t started their period yet and want to learn more about them; girls who have just started their period and want advice on how to prepare for them; and girls who have had periods for some time and might be curious about the myths surrounding them.