
Period Privilege and The People of Bhagalpur
From being Period Savvy to not knowing what menstruation is, where do Bhagalpuri folks lie?
Alharh is a menstrual awareness and equity campaign in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. It was launched in December 2019.
School-going adolescents
via menstrual awareness sessions
< LIVES IMPACTED >
Menstruating women in vulnerable communities via menstrual product distribution and sensitization drives
70% of mothers consider menstruation 'dirty' which perpetuates a culture of shame and ignorance. This leads to young menstruators being unable to adapt to the entire process of menstruation since they weren't educated about this topic before.
We conduct awareness sessions to reduce these numbers and fight to remove stigma and taboos associated with menstruation.
Menstruation is a normal biological process which about 355 million women go through in India. unfortunately, poverty programs do not cover access to menstrual products.
In our attempt to help marginalized menstruators have access to safe & sustainable menstrual products, we launched the 'Sammaan' distribution drive in collaboration with The Happy Turtle on 8th march 2021.
41.2% menstruating women in Bihar do not use safe and hygienic methods of menstrual protection*
It seems difficult to accept but true that even as we live in the Information Age, menstruation continues to be a taboo topic and menstrual unawareness is rampant which makes menstruating people prone to discrimination and vulnerable to medical illnesses pertaining to menstruation or resulting from use of unhygienic menstrual products, more so in rural regions and tier-III cities such as Bhagalpur. Due to the pandemic, the issue of access to safe and affordable menstrual products has also worsened.
*Source : National Family Health Survey(NFHS)- 5
Alharh works with students, organisations and communities in Bhagalpur, Bihar through menstrual awareness sessions and pad distribution drives, as we advocate for menstrual awareness and equity.
If you think you have the skills and time to help spread menstrual awareness, get in touch with us to volunteer.
No restrictions on gender, age or location