Can you tell me about your project related to health and well-being? What was its main goal?
The main focus of our project is to educate people about menstrual health and hygiene, destigmatising the topic and helping end period poverty.
What inspired you to choose this particular health issue for your project?
A few experiences led to me choosing this particular issue, first would be observing the discomfort of the househelp using cloth scraps instead of pads. Inspired and concerned, I chose this topic for my head girl agenda, the response i got from both genders led me to think more and more about the topic. And that led to the creation of Foundation Ayra.
Can you share some of the activities or actions you took as part of your project?
We have done 4 phases of the project and have had over 10,000 beneficiaries.
We also donate pads to a cancer care home every month under this project.
How did you and your team work together to make your project successful?
We were a team of 2. We collaborated with other societies that would organise the events and we donated and conducted the sessions.
Did you face any challenges while working on your project? How did you overcome them?
The main challenge was always finding a location, and with the support of many of our fellow societies we overcame that.
The other challenge was to get elders to talk to us about their thoughts and destigmatise their way of thinking. For this, we conducted a session through doctors and I myself conducted a few, we talked to everybody one on one. We tore open pads, taught them how menstruation actually works, we gage them scientific justification for each myth presented upon us.
What do you think was the most important thing you learned from working on this project?
It would definitely be how a mothers opinion and behavior around the topic affects their kids. On one hand we would have children who took the torn apart pads and investigating the components with such curiosity and on the other hand, the kids who were scared to touch them in fear of their mothers. They would even refuse to take the free ones we were donating. The mothers that had explained periods to be a normal process had raised very confident and curious girls.
Can you describe any positive changes or improvements you observed as a result of your project?
We observed men bringing their wives to listen to our sessions. They would ask the questions their wives shyed away from. We saw elderly women after our session explaining to the shy bunch of ladies how the blood which nourishes a baby isn't impure. We even saw very young boys taking pads from us for their mothers. Each person who carried pads without hiding under a scarf or newspaper, we would consider a great accomplishment.
Did you receive any feedback from your classmates, teachers, or community members about your project? If so, what was it?
Yes, we did. We received donations, appreciations, this project opened up the conversation about the topic and more and more people wanted to volunteer.
How do you feel your project has contributed to promoting health and well-being among your peers or in your community?
I believe while we are not close to ending period poverty but we are definitely a few steps ahead. The fact that topic was discussed openly in slums shows potential that the future generation might not believe all the myths thrown at them.
What are your plans or ideas for continuing to work on this issue in the future?
We plan to continue this project, hopefully reach more people. We have recently joined hands with Be Me. They have joined in as donors, we wish to provide many more women with their organic pads, a promise of health and a life with dignity.
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