MENSTRUAL HYGIENE DAY, 2018 (28th May)

28th May is celebrated world over as the Menstrual Hygiene Day. Menstrual hygiene day is anannual awareness day that aims to break taboos and raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management(MHM) for women and adolescent girls. The day also creates opportunities for advocacy for the integration of MHM into global, national and local policies, programmes and projects. Understanding the importance behind this day, Sachhi Saheli in as- sociati on with Women and Child Development of government of NCT Delhi organized a unique period the med festival called the Menstrual Hygiene Day Period Fest on 27th May 2018 in Inner Circle from 6am to 9:30am. The event was attended by approximately 3000- 4000 people that included people from all walks of life.

In order to commemorate this day, Sachhi Saheli in association with Delhi Legal Services Authority (East North-East &Shahdara) organized a Sensitization-cum-training workshop for the sanitation and class IV employees of East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The motive of this event was to equip this neglected group of the society with proper education on menstrual health and hygiene as they have the least access to health care services and education. The dignitaries including RJ Divya from Radio City, Mr. Arvind Bansal lit the lamp and inaugurated the event. Following the ceremony, the students of GGSSS, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 performed a song and a dance performance on periods in order to get the audiences interested. Following this performance, Mr. Kamaljeet Arora from DLSA gave an inaugural speech that was followed by a special address by gynecologist and Sachhi Saheli’s President Dr. Surbhi Singh wherein she interacted with the beneficiaries and educated them on proper menstrual health and hygiene and on the normal and abnormal aspects of menstruation.

Following this the students of Delhi University and the dramatics team ‘Mukhota’ performed an insightful and though-provoking nukkadnatak on the taboos that surround menstruation. In order to help the beneficiaries, access the law, a special address by Mr. Aakash Jain on Free Legal Aid and Domestic Violence was given to them. The event came to an end with an exhilarating dance-cum-skit performance by students of GGSSS Shakarpur as at the end of their performance they made the entire audiences take a pledge to join the movement against taboos related to periods.