New campaign aims to spread awareness on menstrual health

Over 2,000 adolescent girls in various parts of rural India were provided with sanitary kits as part of a new campaign that aims to spread awareness about menstrual health.

"Wind Beneath Her Wings", a joint initiative by social enterprise Dharma Life and Spain-based women's sportswear brand Believe Athletics, seeks to address the taboo that is menstruation, and teach young girls across the country to stay healthy while on their periods.

"Lack of toilets and unawareness about menstrual hygiene has an adverse impact on women's health. What we aspire to do is change the mindset of people about menstruation," said Gaurav Mehta, founder and CEO of Dharma Life.

The initiative, which went live on January 26, stemmed from the need to make women in Indian villages aware about the importance of menstrual hygiene to prevent infections and infertility.

As part of the campaign, Dharma Life, for every sale on the website of Believe Athletics, educates one young girl about menstrual hygiene and provides her with a sanitary kit.

The approach is reinforced through various games and activities that encourage strengthening of relations between women, particularly between mothers and daughters enabling them to talk about the subject freely.

According to Marisol and Regina Rodriguez, directors of Believe Athletics, the aim of their brand was not just sales but to make women around the world stronger.

"When we got to know what Dharma Life did, we knew that affiliating with them would be a step in the right direction. They inspired our decision to provide kits to women from our sales proceeds to improve women's menstrual health," they said.