Chandigarh
28 May 2019
DIVYA AZAD
On world menstrual hygiene day, in an endeavor to break the taboo around menstruation and to provide a hygienic life to the underprivileged girls and women, Anahita Khanna, a young city girl who is pursuing her Bachelor’s in Mass Media from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, has initiated a campaign related to menstrual hygiene awareness. This has been done under the Anahita Khanna Foundation (AKF), founded by Anahita. AKF is a Chandigarh based charitable trust, and will work in varied areas of social welfare. The foundation in association with the Rotary Menstrual Hygiene Management initiative under the WINS project, has kick-started a project to distribute free sanitary napkins to girls of classes 6 to 10th and women on a monthly basis, in Bapudham and Saketri areas.
AKF will also spearhead Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) sessions to sensitize girls and women about ‘Menstrual Hygiene’.
Anahita said, “I am trying to do my little bit by carrying forward the values that I have learnt from my family and taking up causes that are dear to me. I want to work in such a way that will bring underprivileged sections into the mainstream. The idea is to run social campaigns that I feel will have a constructive social impact. These will be a priority for me”.
She also said that in several parts of India talking about the topic of ‘Menstruation’ is still taboo and carries a baggage of stigma and shame, and that this needed to change. “We at AKF, will try to break this taboo linked with menstrual health by spreading more awareness among women and giving them a proper education about ‘Menstrual Hygiene Management’, added Anahita.
She also expressed her gratitude to the President of the Rotary Club of Chandigarh, AP Singh for giving AKF the opportunity to spearhead the campaign like the distribution of sanitary towels and propagating sanitary hygiene to girls from the underprivileged strata of society.
Mr. AP Singh encouraged the city girl to take up projects which encompass the Rotary ideals of advancing goodwill, peace and “service before self”.
It is noteworthy that AKF has undertaken many more Rotary projects like providing a mid-day meal and crèche facilities in villages like Saketri, etc. Encompassing a broad spectrum of causes under the present AKF umbrella, Anahita wants to create awareness about the lives of soldiers and is looking towards assisting the Next of Kin of deceased soldiers in terms of education and empowerment. She has already finalized a project for the differently abled children of serving and retired soldiers.
