“I was disturbed to see that even in our progressive society, women have to cover sanitary pads in newspapers. I then decided to start a mission on educating and informing government school students on menstruation,” recalls Ayush Kumar.
While the documentary Period. End of Sentence. won an Oscar, rural areas in India still suffer from menstrual taboos.
Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, is a developing district that has been selected among the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission. However, it is still struggling with menstruation stigma and taboos. According to a report in Menstrual Hygiene Matters, London: 2002, 71% of girls are uninformed about menstruation before their first period.
Although there are multiple organizations and debates on period stigma in our society, Mission Babunia is one of its kind, working and initiating a healthy space to educate school students, teachers, and parents in a rural setup. Along with this, they have also made Jharkhand’s first menstrual hygiene video in Nagpuri to attract and reach the local audience.
On A Mission
Ayush, the founder of this mission, is a 20-year-old student who tells that ‘Babunia’ means a girl child in Bhojpuri. This initiative started a year back in various blocks across the district of Ranchi to bring awareness on menstruation hygiene and break the taboos attached to it. Along with this, the initiative has installed a ‘Pad-bank’ for girls in any emergency in five schools in Getansud and Nawagadh Panchayat.
A group of ten trained students then go to other neighbouring villages to inform other women and girls on menstruation health and hygiene. Mission Babunia also conducts various workshops and training programs for teachers and parents where they create a safe space for discussions on menstrual stigma and personal hygiene.
A Small Initiative For A Positive Change
A group of ten volunteers spread across the district of Ranchi, Jharkhand, is on a mission to break the menstruation taboos prevalent in our society for over a decade or so. The group compromising of college students seeks to bring a positive change in our society. Since the targeted audience belongs to a socially and economically backward society where the information and awareness of menstruation health and hygiene still remain secretive.
Testimony
Over 12 months, this initiative has brought positive changes in the society. After attending the workshop and training, Rakhi, a 15-year-old student from Rajyakrit Madhya Vidyalaya, Nawagarh, has not only fought with her own insecurities but is also spreading awareness in the nearby villages.
Even during this countrywide lockdown, Mission Babunia continues to distribute sanitary napkins among women and girls. However, they need your support to continue this cause. After the lockdown, they plan to spread their initiative across the districts of Dhanbad and Ramgarh.
“Throughout this mission, I have received positive responses and interacted with more than a thousand women and girls in Getalsud and other nearby panchayats. People know me as ‘Padman of Getalsud’. I feel content when this initiative changes someone’s life and society at large,” says Ayush.