Category: Volunteer Testimonial

Yasemin Daldal from Istanbul, Turkey

It is important to be at peace with yourself. It is important to feel confident in your own body. Most of all, it is really important not to be ashamed of something you are biologically programmed to have.

Upon my arrival in India, I learned a lot about its food, its culture, and some of its traditions. But I have to say, I was really surprised to learn how menstruation was perceived. For me and my friends, having our first periods was something to be proud of. Yes, it wasn’t something you publically announced but it was definitely not something to be ashamed of either.

By being a part of SNHP, I got a chance to observe and be in contact with women from various age groups and backgrounds. Seeing their reactions to what Sarika told them about menstruation, was eye-opening. I realized just how much I have taken my knowledge for granted: knowledge about my own biology, about menstrual hygiene and about pain-relief.

SNHP, in a way, helps these women and girls to embrace themselves and get rid of negative emotions surrounding this natural phenomenon via education. An education many don’t receive because most women are too shy to talk about it even with their daughters.

I had a great time working with Sarika and the other volunteers. I am so grateful for everything I’ve learned and experienced. It has been an unforgettable journey and while I’m sad I could only be a part of it for six weeks, I’m looking forward to seeing what SNHP achieves in the future.

Being a volunteer on Safe N’ Happy Periods helped me to understand the reality of Indian women. The use of pads and tampons during the menstrual periods, considered common in other countries, it’s still a hot topic in India.

Many women still do not know how to use pads or the correct way to disposal it, they are shy and do not feel comfortable talking about periods. A topic considered so natural for me and spoke so freely in my country can become a nightmare for women in India.

Safe N’ Happy Periods do not just spread awareness, it changes lives. It changes the way women in India see themselves and make them be more confident, independent and proud about their bodies.

Check her video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqeDfJ1wvao

Andressa Grechi from Brazil
Ruchika Khemka

A Chartered Accountant

Assistant Manager – Finance department of Bunge India.

 

I have been volunteering with SNHP and I’m happy to be a part of an initiative that is spreading awareness about an important issue in India. I like doing yoga too and I believe that teaching yoga asanas to relieve period pain is very effective.

As a girl, I was always interested in women empowerment and fighting

for girls’ rights. I wondered why there are a lot of girls who are shy because of their bodies. I also felt sorry for those who can’t do whatever they want to do, study the thing that they are interested in and travel to places they want to visit and the reason of all that is that they are girls!!!

I went to India to work with a non-governmental organization called Safe N’ Happy Periods. This organization works to create awareness about monthly periods, to educate girls about their bodies, about hygiene, about what they can do and why they shouldn’t be ashamed of their bodies. This is important because in India there are a lot of girls who feel ashamed and uncomfortable about their periods although it is such a natural thing. We often say women empowerment is a must, but how can we empower women who have problems with understanding their bodies and their period. I then realized that the work of Safe N’ Happy Periods is a great first step for the sake of real women empowerment.

 

 

Aya from Egypt
Clementine Udine from Italy

My first hand experience with Safe N’ Happy Periods took place in the Global Village, an AIESEC event where a lot of students from different countries all over the world come together to share their culture and experiences.  This year it was organized at the Pillai College of Navi Mumbai, and Dorian (another volunteer from China) and I had the opportunity to set up a stand for SNHP and represent the NGO in front of the students who attended the event. In the previous weeks we had worked in the office, doing researches, updating databases, planning visits to schools and colleges; at the Global Village we had the chance to meet students and talk to them about our experience of volunteering for SNHP, sharing our opinions about menstruation related issues and showing them the activities done so far by the NGO. I was impressed by the interest showed by the majority of the girls I talked with, they were aware of the importance of improving menstrual awareness among young girls and they strongly supported our cause. It’s clear that these girls want to change traditional perspectives about periods, they really want to talk about it shame-less and freely, while there were some guys who felt uncomfortable when I asked them some questions about this topic. Then I realized how much work is still needed to reach a real shame-free menstruation time for every woman in the world. In my opinion SNHP is a significant starting point to achieve this goal, a push to change mentalities and behaviors. It’s up to everyone let women to live happily their periods; I’m glad to have the opportunity to give my contribution to a cause I strongly believe in.

Final Year Bachelor of Business Administration

DY Patil Institute

You never stop learning. Yes!

Safe N’ Happy Periods gave me this chance to learn many new things. I always wanted to join an initiative which is working to break taboos surrounding Menstruation. Volunteering with SNHP has given me guidance, knowledge, and awareness of the challenges women encounter. I’m glad that I’m part of this initiative and though I have a busy schedule with my studies I always look forward to contributing to this great cause.

Priya

To put it in a nutshell, my volunteering experience with Safe N’ Happy Periods was one of the most rewarding and mind-opening experiences of my life. Right from the start, Sarika – the founder and good spirit of Safe N’ Happy – encouraged us to challenge the structures that we found and to come up with new ideas of how to improve the work of the initiative. Apart from administrative work, my tasks included meeting school and university officials to arrange workshops, writing blog entries and reports and assisting Sarika in delivering the workshops.

The most memorable experience was to accompany Sarika to MIJWAN, an NGO run by Bollywood celebrity Shabana Azmi Ji in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. Staying and working in this rural setting was a challenging, but extremely rewarding experience. To see with how much curiosity and gratefulness girls and women followed the workshops, how they practiced the yoga asanas and how they started talking more openly motivated me throughout my entire stay.

The longer I work with Safe N’ Happy, the more I realise how invaluable this initiative is in making women feel more confident about themselves and their bodies. To create awareness and adequate knowledge about menstruation and to ensure that women are no longer disadvantaged in society, there is still a long way to go, but Safe N’ Happy is taking a great step towards these goals and I am proud to be part of this journey.

If you want to contact Isabella about her experience with Safe N’ Happy Periods, please write an e-mail to: isabella.hilber@hotmail.com

I am a German law student and I have worked for Safe N’ Happy Periods for about six weeks. First, other volunteers and I interviewed Indian girls about their opinions on menstruation and the way society deals with the topic. We made a video of it, which shows the extent that women’s periods are still a taboo in Indian society. Secondly, I am happy to say that I was a part of an event for Menstrual Hygiene Day 2017. Together we promoted the event and held a workshop about menstruation in a slum in the area of Navi Mumbai. Donating sanitary pads to the Indian women was an important part of it. Personally, I learned that there is a need to talk about women’s periods in India without falling into any superstitions or being shy about it. Women should have the opportunity to know what happens with their body and what can make them feel better. I warmly recommend everybody to support the young initiative of Safe N’ Happy Periods. You soon feel like a proper part of it and you are free to work on the domain you are interested in.

My name is Marine and I am from France. I worked for Safe N’ Happy Periods for 3 weeks in May 2017. I worked on an event which was a menstruation workshop for girls and women in a slum in CBD Belapur, for Menstrual Hygiene Day 2017. From the preparation to the realisation, I acted at each step with Sarika Gupta. The event was a huge success, and I was so glad to meet Indian women and to share my experience with them. I also worked on the website and social media, including updating Facebook, Instagram, and creating a Tumblr blog, to help make Safe N’ Happy Periods more well known.

The experience of working for Safe n’ Happy Periods was one of the most valuable experiences in my life. However, the beginning was difficult. It was not only my first time volunteering abroad, but also the first time in India and in Asia. What I enjoyed most about the work was the direct contact with the girls and women we worked with and the possibility of sharing our experiences concerning menstruation issues. I feel that I somehow contributed to the big change Sarika is trying to implement in the Indian society, but also that I have learned a lot myself.

 

 

Julia from Poland 

All the donations towards Safe N' Happy Periods are eligible for 50% Income Tax exemption (under Section 80 G of the Income Tax Act).