Indian students spend 14 years in School before they start College education. With the focus of formal education remaining firmly on covering textbook concepts and on exam preparation, neither schools nor colleges do a good job of equipping students with skills and knowledge that will help them thrive as adults. Important concepts like Menstrual Health and Hygiene, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Environmental Education, Mental Health etc. are not covered in school (or college) curriculum. This leaves students with incomplete or incorrect information on topics that will play an important role in defining their quality of life as adults.
At Education For Good Foundation, our objective is to plug this gap. We believe that building greater awareness around these important concepts will transform society by improving the physical and mental health of individuals as well as by improving the health of the environment around us. We do this by first educating and empowering a set of changemakers who will work with individuals and groups to disseminate the message they are trying to spread.
We started our efforts in 2022 by launching the Sustainable Menstrual Care (SMC) Initiative. Through this movement, we attempt to spread awareness around the health, economic and environmental benefits of sustainable menstrual care products. It is our sincere belief that greater awareness about sustainable menstrual care products will lead to more menstruators switching to sustainable products. And we do this by first educating school and college students about menstruation, menstrual health and hygiene and sustainable menstruation. After that, interested students sign up and get trained to become SMC Mentors. We then work with certified SMC Mentors to create opportunities for them to spread awareness about the benefits of sustainable menstruation among their peers as well as with younger and older menstruators.