No More Whispering DAF Campaign for Menstrual Health Awareness

1. No More Whispering: DAF Campaign for Menstrual Health Awareness

2. Even after so many years of independence, women in India are still fighting the mensuration stigma. In millions of homes, villages, and even urban communities across the country, menstruation remains the topic discussed in hushed words in silence, shame, and stigma. According to an UNICEF research, one in three girls in South Asia do not know about menstruation before their first period. In many conservative areas, menstruation is still seen as something that should not be talked about. Girls are taught to hide their periods, stay in their rooms, don’t venture out, or touch other items. Schools, and households, completely ignore the need of menstrual health all together. Results? Half of the population grows up feeling embarrassed about periods and pays the heavy price of not knowing the importance of menstrual health. Not being able to normalize menstrual health conversations is taking a toll on the physical health, mental well-being, and social participation of girls and women still.

3. Best NGO in India, DebabrataAuro Foundation (DAF) has taken this bold and much-needed step: Community program camps that work at the grassroots level to normalize menstrual health conversations and is working tirelessly to empower women and girls of all age groups with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they deserve. • DebabrataAuro Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The Esthetic Clinics, channelling a portion of the clinic’s chain profits in to impactful non-profit initiatives. The aim is to create a positive and long-lasting change that uplifts our society. • Talking about periods isn’t shameful -Staying silent about them is. • Why menstrual health conversations matter • The restrictions on talking about menstruation are not cultural- they have real and damaging consequences, such as • Infections and damage to reproductive health because of lack of hygiene during periods. • Missing education and critical events in life because of lack of access to good sanitary pads. • Shame or secrecy by making the girls feel ‘unclean’ or ‘lesser’ because of and during menstruation thus reinforcing gender inequality. • Myths and ignorance among the family perpetuate harmful practices and discrimination.

4. DAF, a top NGO in Mumbai, has made it its mission to provide early education to girls and encourage them to embrace this phase of their lives with articulate education. Menstrual health education has to be inclusive and – loud, visible, and unapologetic. • DAF Menstrual Health and Hygiene Camps • Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness Session at the Mahatma Phule SRA Building in Nariman Point. • Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness Session at Akanksha Foundation Lokhandwala SMCMPS School, Lower Parel. • DebabrataAuro Foundation (DAF), in collaboration with TajSATS, organized a Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Initiative at Sathe Nagar, Mankhurd. • Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness session at Podar Adopted School. • Menstrual Health & Hygiene awareness session at the Vashi Naka slum area in Chembur • Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Session and Sanitary Napkins Distribution at Laxmi Nagar MPS School • Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Session at Vaishali Nagar, Ramu Compound, Virar East • Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Session and Napkin Distribution at Kanjurmarg MPS School • Menstrual Health & Hygiene awareness session at Indira Nagar Slum Bandra • Menstrual health & Hygiene Awareness session Napkins distribution at Shindewadi, DadarAkansha Foundation • Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Session and Sanitary Napkins Distribution at Laxmi Nagar MPS School

5. Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness Session and Sanitary Napkins Distribution at Laxmi Nagar MPS School • Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness Session at ChemburBastiVikasKridaMandal • Menstrual Health & Hygiene Awareness session Napkins distribution at VileparleBhajiwadi • Aarey Colony AdivasiPada Menstrual Health & Hygiene Outreach Program Report • Organized awareness sessions and sanitary napkins distribution at Diamond Nagar Slum area collaboration with Police MitraSangh • Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness Session & Sanitary Napkins Distribution, 29th and ReayRoad & Jay Prakash Nagar • awareness session on Menstrual Health and Hygiene at (Akanksha Foundation) Abhyudaya Nagar Mumbai Public School. • Best NGO in Mumbai; The DAF’s menstrual health awareness sessions are not limited to sanitary pad distribution; their mission is to bring about a sustainable change through education, access, and empowerment. • Top NGO in India, The DAF Foundation is working towards spreading menstrual health awareness through

6. Community workshops for Girls and Women • -Regular events to explain the science behind periods and the need of sensitivity regarding the same. • -Debunking myths such as girls on periods being impure, entering the kitchen during periods makes the food unpalatable. • -Teaching proper hygiene regarding cleaning pads regularly, washing hands, using clean water, and safe disposal of sanitary pads • -Understanding the methods to calculate cycles • -when to talk to a gynaecologist • -importance of good nutrition during menstruation • -Emotional support to girls who are menstruating for the first time • These workshops are organized for free, and DAF’s dedicated team of expert executives conduct these sessions to dispel myths. • Menstrual Hygiene Kit Distribution • Best NGO in India in 2025, DAF also distributes menstrual hygiene kits with sanitary pads and pamphlets in local languages to the girls. The kits are distributed with dignity – not a charity but a right. • Educating and engaging boys and men • Menstrual education is not limited to just girls; the entire community needs to upgrade itself which means changing the attitude of boys and men too. • DAF mission for menstrual awareness is an inclusive program: • -Conducting awareness in schools and communities for both genders

7. -Teaching boys to support sisters, mothers, classmates, and later partners • - Encouraging male community leaders to advocate for menstrual dignity • The aim is to have all inclusive conversations, and top NGO in India, DAF, is creating allies and not barriers in this fight for dignity. • DebabrataAuro Foundation, a top charity foundation in India, is working towards building grassroots leadership, ensuring a consistent and community-led program that is trusted by both men and women. Of course, this journey is not without obstacles—ranging from resistance from elders to limited infrastructure for safe and private sanitation, and the deep-rooted myths surrounding menstruation. But with one camp at a time, DAF, widely regarded as one of the best NGOs in India, is slowly chipping away at centuries of taboo and sparking real, lasting change. • Impact so far • DAF has reached about 10k girls with menstrual education • Distributed over 20k hygiene kits across Maharashtra • Partnered with many schools to ensure continuous menstrual health awareness • The Road Ahead • The DAF mission is far from over. The future plans include establishing more contact with the rural areas and advocating policy change to integrate menstrual health in to mainstream school curriculum. Until every girl can be comfortable with her period, DAF will continue to work -stronger, louder, and prouder.

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