At Sambhav Foundation, we believe that empowering women starts with addressing fundamental health and hygiene issues. We conducted menstrual hygiene workshops for nearly 100 women from the waste pickers' community. These sessions focused on creating awareness about menstrual cycles, promoting healthy practices, dispelling myths, and providing a safe space for open dialogue. For many women, this was the first time they felt comfortable discussing menstrual health without shame or hesitation.
Devi, a beautician course candidate, shares, “𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 60 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.” Recently, our partner Sambhav Foundation organised a series of menstrual hygiene workshops for ~100 candidates from the waste-picking community. Women in the waste-picking community often face health challenges as they don’t have access to knowledge sources about safe and sound menstrual hygiene practices. These workshops help create awareness about menstrual cycles, health and hygiene, debunk myths, and promote practices that ensure well-being. They also provide a safe space for participants to ask questions and build confidence in managing their menstrual health without shame or hesitation. Such initiatives are a crucial part of Sambhav Foundation's gender-focused programs, equipping women from marginalised groups with the knowledge to maintain their health and challenge harmful taboos.