‘Schools can help bust menstruation taboos’
LUCKNOW: Schools would have to play a key role in raising awareness about menstrual hygiene and removing menstruation-related taboos and myths, said CEO of Niine sanitary napkins Richa Singh, who was here to deliver a talk at the IIM’s Manfest—Varchasva on Friday.
“Girls need to understand about the menstrual cycle and boys too. Mothers can explain it to their daughters but often it is seen that they avoid such discussions . They even ask their daughters to not speak about it,” said Richa.
Niine is an initiative with focus on eradicating menstrual taboos and has signed an MoU of ₹80 crore with the state government at the UP Innovators Summit2018. Richa said the environment for industrialists was congenial in the state and added that she planned to expand the base of Niine.
“We believe that if chapters on menstrual hygiene and hormonal changes during adolescence are included in the curriculum at school level, it would change the way many women who stay at home look at it. When children will tell what they learned in school, perhaps the mothers will also change their stance. We are going to propose the same to the state,” said Richa.
She said that the need was to change the way the issue was talked about and understood. “If we are able to do it, we will make the world a better place for girls,” she said. Niine has donated and installed over 30 sanitary napkin vending machines across Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur and other regions across UP. It has reached out to over 2,000 women in various villages of UP, through various tie-ups and public service initiatives.