Empowering Adolescent Girls: How Saraswathi’s Advocacy for Menstruation Awareness is Changing Lives!

"At the beginning, girls my age were shy to talk about periods, but when I started explaining the importance of it, some girls started opening up." – Saraswathi.

Saraswathi, a 13-year-old girl, hails from a small village Madanapalle and belongs to the daily wage labourers community. When Saraswathi got her first period, her parents asked her to follow various practices like not entering the kitchen, not going to school, sitting isolated and not roaming around in her house. She got curious and asked her family and school questions, but everyone silenced her.

She took her questions to CRY's Adolescent Girls Collective meetings. CRY conducted sessions on menstruation, and the team discussed physiological changes in girls' bodies, menstrual products and debunked myths.

Saraswathi asked questions and realised that no scientific reason was attached to these practices. She also found out many of her friends miss school during their periods, so she decided to spread awareness on the topic.

CRY team trained her in conducting sessions on menstruation for girls in schools and slums. She has organised 2 MHM sessions with 100 adolescent girls. In these sessions, she conveys that menstruation is a natural process and should not curb girls' education.

Saraswathi is a true example of how an individual's determination can make a difference in the entire community. As CRY UK, we dream of a day when no girl has to stop going to school because of her periods. Your donation can break the barrier for India's daughters.