Our meeting on 06 April 2022 was a face to face meeting at the Kenton Beefeater with a talk from the Chair of the Rotary Action Group for Menstrual Health and Hygiene.
Sharmila Nagarajan is Chair of the Rotary Action Group for Menstrual Health and Hygiene and came armed with a mass of statistics collected from world wide research which had led to the group’s 6 key objectives:
- To give dignity to women and girls so that they can live their own lives with access to
education and economic self maintenance; - To reduce menstrual waste and contribute to environmental protection;
- Create awareness of the sanitary products that are available.
- Encourage the use of reusable items where they are available.
- Educate boys and men on the subject of periods.
- Break the taboo and stigma associated with periods.
Sharmila had a list of unusual beliefs and traditions that are associated with menstruation in some countries, which included damage to livestock, calling witches from the countryside and the spread of disease. Her mission is to “Break the Silence” and this she managed to do with great energy and sincerity. This talk is recommended for all Rotary Clubs!
We also heard that our work with UK-AID (Felsted Aid for Deprived Children) collecting aid and consumables for Ukrainian Refugees in Moldova had featured on the BBC East News programme that evening.
