Aaina celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day with Pride Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28) has been a day for Aaina to reinforce the view that there is no shame in the game and further knowledge and hygiene aspect of Menstruation. On the eve of Menstrual Hygiene Day a week long campaign was organized at district level in Ganjam where health workers along with adolescents, PRIs, and other stakeholders had come forward to show their solidarity towards the issue. Adolescent girls (Kishori Sathis) in collaboration with the VHND (village health & nutrition day), AWW centers campaigned on the theme of the year-“Education about Menstruation Changes Everything”. They put Alta (red liquid color used to beautify girls/women foot during festive occasions) on their palms to imply red as the color of pride.
Self employed women association members of including home based workers and women Union members put forward how menstruation affects them in their work environment. They also discussed about the adverse experience they had confronted due to menstrual myths during their tiny ages and pledged to liberate their daughters from this vicious chain of taboos and educate them to feel proud of their biological process.
Aaina organized 2 community outreach program in urban slums in partnership with Water Aid India (East Region), NAWO (Odisha Chapter) & CFAR (Odisha Office) educating 50 adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene through fun games, quiz competitions, screening of documentary films and interaction and another one involving the adolescents, women folks & men of the community to trigger the mindset of the audience and proving a space for open discussion. A puppet show (story telling through puppet’s act) was yet another tool to spread information. A set of questionnaire was developed to engage adolescents to speak out their mind on the issue and the winners were awarded with prizes comprising of Hygiene kits as an encouragement.
There was Media advocacy where All India Radio organized a talk show on the issue inviting Ms. Sneha Mishra, Secretary Aaina and Dr. Gayatri Mohanty to address the listeners. Besides there was broadcasting of issues related to menstrual hygiene discussed by staff of Aaina on radio channels covering many districts of the state
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