Project Kishori: Prazna Foundation Empowers Rajasthan's Youth to Speak Openly About Menstruation

Today, India is leading in almost all sectors of the world and is set to bring a global social revolution. But do you know the country still lacks basic menstrual health and hygiene? Moreover, girls here feel too shy to discuss this freely in India. 

Menstrual hygiene in India has always been a complicated issue owing to various issues such as social taboos, cultural norms, and economic factors. The health problems faced due to lack of menstrual hygiene are quite serious. It can cause anaemia, prone to RTI/UTI, reproductive tract infections, and many more.

The situation is worsened when girls and women do not feel comfortable speaking about menstruation freely in public. As per UNICEF, 71% of adolescent girls do not know about menstruation before they get their first periods. 60% of girls remain absent during periods or drop out of school permanently due to a lack of adequate facilities and bullying by boys.

To address this serious issue, the Prazna Foundation in Rajasthan has come forward. The foundation has launched Project Kishori, which aims to provide menstrual hygiene to women and girls belonging to remote areas. It offers products and education to help girls and women manage menstrual hygiene and live dignified lives.

Girls face various awkward situations during menstruation. They feel shy to talk openly about it which affects their hygiene and mental health. The problem is more adverse in remote areas and underprivileged communities. 

The problem of embarrassment increases more when girls do not get an appropriate environment to talk about menstruation and its associated health issues openly. Various schools in remote villages do not have proper washrooms, clean water, or safe spaces for young girls.

Such issues promote the need to address issues related to menstruation hygiene and education. Prazna Foundation was founded in 2018 to ensure that girls in remote areas address the social stigmas about menstruation. 

It aims to increase menstruation sanitation and hygiene among boys and girls so that girls get a cleaner, healthier environment. The foundation aims to provide access to sanitary products to girls and women needed during menstruation.

In response to the taboo and lack of education and healthcare for girls and women during menstruation, the Prazna Foundation launched Project KIshori in August 2024. For this, collaborated with BrahMos Aerospace. 

The Deputy CM of Rajasthan, Diya Kumari, graced the event held in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur. She inaugurated Project Kishori which started to increase awareness about menstruation hygiene and health issues faced by girls and women during this. 

The foundation works tirelessly to create a cohesive environment in which girls can overcome societal embarrassment during periods and enable them to discuss their problems openly.

Project Kishori conducts awareness sessions at schools in villages by establishing Kishori Clubs. The volunteers of the Prazna Foundation distribute menstrual hygiene kits so that adolescent girls have access to adequate hygiene during menstruation. 

The volunteers make sure to enhance knowledge about menstruation, associated health issues, and ways to maintain hygiene among girls.  Project Kishori conducts workshops by collaborating with various communities and healthcare providers in remote areas. 

The workshops are mainly for women in slum areas to educate them about menstruation hygiene and health. They are also educated on feminine health, gender equality, and the importance of education. 

Such workshops and sessions give underprivileged girls and women a platform to speak openly about issues such as health, sanitation, and hygiene. The aim is to enrich their lives with a healthy lifestyle by prioritizing their wellbeing. Project Kishori adopts one girl a year and donates her several necessary hygiene products required during menstruation for Rs 450 only.

The continuous efforts taken by the volunteers of Project Kishori are making significant impacts. The rate of dropout from schools among girls has reduced and children attending schools have increased in remote areas. The efforts have empowered girls and women to make informed decisions regarding their health and hygiene during menstruation. 

Until now, Project Kishori has visited 100 schools in and around Jaipur, especially the remote areas where nobody goes. Through this, the foundation has educated over 20,000 women on maintaining female hygiene, especially during menstruation. 

The kits distributed by the foundation to rural women contain basic hygiene and sanitation items including antiseptic liquids and paper soaps.  The kits have improved their hand-washing and body hygiene habits significantly.

Kishori Clubs have given a unique platform to young girls and express themselves openly. The clubs have raised the confidence who used to feel nervous during periods. The appointment of trusted teachers as intermediaries in Project Kishori helps facilitate open conversations with the girls. 

They also educate the girls about good food, nutrition, and supplements that the body needs. It increases their awareness regarding female body changes and diet requirements accordingly. In addition, Kishori Clubs and the workshops involve and educate boys also. 

With this, they have succeeded in changing people’s minds regarding menstruation. The volunteers answer the doubts that menstruation is not a taboo or social stigma but only a process.

Prazna Foundation has been dealing with several social issues, especially for girls and women. It has been tirelessly to educate and empower women. The foundation's program, Akshar Kaksha, is launched to provide value education to underprivileged children. 

Apart from this, the foundation works to educate women on their social rights, helpline numbers, and grants provided by the government. It makes them aware of domestic violence and the way they can complain about it. The foundation’s art and craft workshops inspire creativity and motivate women from remote areas to learn new skills and earn their livelihood.

In the future, the Prazna Foundation promises to work for the betterment of children and women. It will provide a platform for rural women and children to educate and empower themselves and improve their way of living. 

The foundation will work to improve the lives of communities living in underprivileged sections where nobody reaches for support. It aims to become one of the best platforms for women’s education, health, sanitation, and hygiene in the best manner.