Light to Life calls out the Red Elephant in the room

On the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022, Light to Life hosted two-day long activities on the basic menstrual hygiene management in two slums of Dhaka city with climate migrant adolescent girls.

The activities were held on 14 and 15 May under their School of (Im)Possible Project supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Institutes, Pathfinder and Bayer.

In this two day long event more than 40 adolescent girls participated and shared their experiences, reads a press release. 

Throughout the day, Light to Life did a series of activities which included training on basic menstrual hygiene, demonstration of different types of menstrual supplies, sharing personal experiences and stories.

During a stigma busting session, adolescent girls opened up about many existing myths they have in their community. Followed by the knowledge sharing session, participants were provided colors and brushes to participate in an art therapy session where they painted the existing stigma and possible solutions around menstrual health. 

Light to Life, together with adolescent girls, imagines a place where no girl or woman will be held back and deprived of their basic rights because of natural menstrual cycles, and where girls and women will have the basic right to maintain their hygiene and live a  healthy life. 

Many girls living in the slum go through menstrual cycles every month, do not know the biological reasons behind menstruation, nor do they understand the sudden discrimination they face or why they are being isolated and stigmatised by society. 

A participant from Tola mia slum shared her experience that she faced humiliation while buying sanitary napkins from a local pharmacy. Service providers including local medicine shopkeepers should be sensitised regarding these issues to create a youth friendly service environment, reads the press release.  

Through the School of (Im)Possible platform which is a play based learning platform led by light to Life, the objective of this month long campaign is to educate adolescent and youths around sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

The project will be working for adolescent and youths living in coastal belts of Bangladesh and climate migrants living in different urban slums. 

During the training Light to Life Founder Labib Tazone utshab, Program Director Sadia Rahman, Program Officer- HR Sumaiya Akter, Program Officer- SRHRAshab Al Yeamin, Program Officer- MHPSS Hazera Sultana, , Executive Member Tabassum Talha, member Rokon Ahmed, and Project Management Intern Afrin Sultana, were present during this campaign. 

After the month-long activities a quiz and debate competition will be organised with the participants living in Dhaka slums on 28 May.