Saakhivanam is an initiative to introduce a no-gender based classroom. The environment is teacher friendly and the kids learn how to become the best of their own versions.
My first interest and step to devle into the project is helping the adoloscent girls to know about menstruation and its hygiene. During the Millennium Fellowship, I conducted interactive workshops (*both online and offline) that focused on breaking myths, explaining the biological process of menstruation, and teaching safe hygiene habits. Through these sessions, girls gained accurate knowledge, felt more confident discussing their bodies, and learned how to manage their periods with dignity.
We rechecked the information provided through basic oral quiz and guess it correct activity to help them realise the importance of practices what they learned. I accept that the initiative step to interact with girls is hard, but once you create a safe environment by sharing your stroy, the project can create a safe, supportive space where the girls could freely ask questions without embarrassment. Sharing my stories helped other participants to share that this was the first time they received clear, stigma-free guidance about menstruation. As a result, the initiative helped reduce shame, improved health awareness, and encouraged open conversations around menstrual hygiene.