Period No More Limits, Youth Ki Awaaz Action Network Fellow

Sky Social has launched an advocacy campaign ‘Period No More Limits’ under this fellowship where we are aiming to change people’s perception around menstruation and make menstrual products accessible to everyone with a goal to reduce the school dropout rates of girls.

This is an initiative to bridge the implementation gaps of Menstrual Hygiene Scheme under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) so that every girl has easy access to sanitary products and they are all well aware about menstruation. Through this campaign we want to overcome the roadblocks that are limiting girls. Menstrual education is a really important factor that empowers girls.

Period No More Limits is a campaign to create awareness, work on accessibility, availability, and reach 5000 adolescent girls from government schools in rural Bhopal by empowering and educating SHG women on Menstrual Health Management (MHM). This will directly impact the communities by educating them and fixing the problems with supply chain management of menstrual products in these schools and communities with demanding effective convergence between Health Department, Rural Development Department and Education Department. Our goal is to lower down the rates of school dropout girls due to menstruation.

As a part of this campaign we train adolescent girls, SHG women, men and boys from the community on various aspects of Menstruation and Sexual and Reproductive Health. We also work on improving the access of sanitary pads and effective implementation of Menstrual Hygiene Scheme.

Menstrual advocacy and accessibility of products are key elements of our campaign and through this focal point we’ll be addressing various related issues online as well as offline, like period poverty, MHM, Sexual and reproductive health, clear out menstrual misconceptions, myths and work on attitudinal shifts in the whole society.

Important Recommendations

Strengthening the implementation of already existing schemes and policies. Proper awareness about these policies should be there on the ground
A comprehensive framework where all aspects on menstruation and sexual and reproductive health are covered should be made along with clear demarcation of roles and responsibilities. It should also appoint a specific authority that takes care of implementation of this framework so that there is accountability. This is a sustainable way to work on these subjects.
As a part of current Menstrual Hygiene Scheme a lot of responsibilities are given to Asha workers which burdens them with a lot of pressure. So the responsibilities for the implementation of policies should be distributed among various stakeholders and frontline workers.
Trainings should be provided to women, men, girls and boys in the community about menstruation and sexual and reproductive health. Inclusive trainings on these topics will slowly help in removing the shame attached with these subjects. There should be proper information given about sexual health.
Improving the accessibility of sanitary products by converging Rural Development Department, Health Department and Education Department.
Improvement is needed in the quality of infrastructure and equipment at public sector facilities, to an emphasis on capacity building of frontline and other providers, to ensuring that services are delivered in respectful ways that acknowledge client rights.
Women, men, and adolescents must be made aware through outreach work as well as, for the young, through schools and community groups about health promoting practices as well as their right to access quality services. Above all, programs must target the most disadvantaged the poor, the rural, the poorly educated, the young in order that the vast inequities that persist are narrowed.
Psychological health is an important factor that impacts menstrual and sexual and reproductive health. More awareness on this aspect should be provided so that women and girls can manage their menstrual cycle in a better way.
The policies should be implemented in such a manner where the community develops health seeking attitude towards these subjects. There should be attitudinal shift in the community with the help of the existing policies.
Along with increasing medical and clinical capacities, there is a need to initiate and strengthen public health and community discourse on healthy sexuality. Everyone, including the youth, should have access to comprehensive age-specific sexuality education.

Period No More Limits Campaign and Activities with Youth ki Awaaz

Sky Social is a YOUTH KI AWAZ Action Network Fellow. Through the advocacy campaign ‘Period No More Limits’ we are aiming to change people’s mindset around menstruation and make menstrual products accessible to everyone. This is an initiative to bridge the implementation gaps of Menstrual Hygiene Scheme under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) so that every girl has easy access to sanitary products and they are all well aware about menstruation. Through this campaign we want to overcome the roadblocks that are limiting girls. Menstrual education is a really important factor that empowers girls. Period No More Limits is a campaign to create awareness, work on accessibility, availability, and reach 5000 adolescent girls from government schools in rural Bhopal by empowering and educating SHG women on Menstrual Health Management (MHM).