COMMUNITY AWARENESS PROGRAM

Girls and women need and deserve functional toilets in their homes, workplace, public places and even on the way while travelling from one place to another. Their need for toilets, water, soap and dustbins is amplified during the days they menstruate every month. In order to build a supportive household, village, community for menstruating girls and women which ensures infrastructure and facilities along with empathetic and progressive environment, community awareness programs are organised for fathers, mothers, out-of-school girls, youth groups, village elders, church leaders, local government: gram panchayat and village development authority, frontline health workers ASHA and Anganwadi workers in the village level. Fathers and mothers were most often found to be advocates of traditionally held myths and taboos around menstruation and sensitizing them is a crucial approach for menstrual hygiene in the community. Night classes in the village, door-to-door outreach, church gatherings, public discussion in the community halls, sensitization for fathers and mothers are organised depending on the context. The school and community awareness programs are the core interventions of Breaking the Silence Worldwide Foundation.