Apurva P

Nov 8,2021

According to the World Bank, around the world, about 129 million girls are out of school due to poverty, child marriage, and gender-based violence. In India, about 23 million girls drop out of school every year due to menstruation. Family pressure and lack of basic sanitation facilities in schools, misinformation, and prejudice are some of the reasons that has led to this problem. Addressing schools’ lack of basic WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) facilities is now a critical component of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in the country. Srinidhi SU from Rotary Club of Bangalore, Seshadripuram, Karnataka, is one of the six global Rotary People of Action: Champions of Girls’ Empowerment who has been honored for his efforts to address women’s health concerns. Srinidhi SU In an effort to break taboo around periods, Srinidhi has been working towards the betterment of women’s health and encourages men to discuss menstruation. Since 2018, he has devoted himself to the health needs of women and girls in his community. He served as the Project Chair for The Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) session project in 2018 and founded Project Sthree in 2019 as the Club President, a programme based around women’s health, including hygiene, thyroid and breast cancer, and HPV, as well as focussing on providing leadership and safety skills for women. ALSO READ [Monday Motivation] This law student is encouraging and empowering women to speak up and forge ahead.

Teaching basics 

A teacher by profession, Srinidhi wasn’t shy about talking about the biological aspects and helping people was something he always wanted to do. Being a science and mathematics teacher for high school students, teaching reproduction was in his curriculum. He is aware of how men are usually restrained from talking about periods in many places, especially in schools and colleges. However, Srinidhi makes sure that he talks openly to boys and girls about menstruation. That inspired him to take it up in a larger way. “I have taken training on how teachers and other Rotary members should convey the message of menstruation. Whenever I get invited as a motivational speaker, I make sure that I talk about menstruation even if it’s not relevant,” says Srindhi. He got the opportunity to work towards women’s health when he joined the youth wing of Rotary – ‘Rotaract’ in the year 2018. The then president of Rotaract, who was his junior, requested him to take up the chair position for a menstrual hygiene project. Srinidhi interacting with school kids Initially, he was hesitant to take up the project as he was the only man, and whenever something came up related to women’s health, men usually step back. But he continued to work towards his mission. In 2019, he became the president of Rotaract. During his tenure, he launched Project Sthree where he brought in the aspect of women empowerment and conducted a series of sessions and programmes.