Project Baala

Impure. Unclean. Do not enter temples and kitchens. Do not wash your hair. These are some of the taboos internalised by girls all over India when it comes to periods, hindering their knowledge of their bodies and creating a sense of shame around menstruation. Moreover, period poverty means that women and girls in India are unable to afford hygienic menstrual products, increasing their risk of developing health issues. Enter Project Baala, a social enterprise providing girls with affordable and reusable menstrual pads while normalising conversations about periods. It works with partners who can sponsor the costs of outreach and distribution drives at schools in India, and has held over 1,100 workshops all over India, and given out 900,000 reusable pads as of June 2022. ____________ Find out more: https://www.projectbaala.com/ Read the full story: https://www.ourbetterworld.org/story/menstruation-matters-ending-period-shame ____________ Director and Editor: Anshul Tiwari Producer and Writer: Lin Yanqin Camera: Mubashshir Ali Sound: Tapasya Babeley Executive Producer: Kimberly Gordon ____________________________________________________________________ For more inspiring stories subscribe now! http://bit.ly/14Ohz8G Our Better World - Telling Stories. Inspiring Action. We tell stories of people doing good in Asia to inspire global action. We connect storytellers, the people doing good and the ones who’d love to help but don’t know how. We strive to build an engaged global community sharing skills, resources, time and effort, empowering every person with the conviction that each has the power to make the world better. Our Better World is a digital storytelling initiative of the Singapore International Foundation. We're happy for you to link to or embed our stuff on your site for non-commercial use. We'd appreciate being credited, with a link back to http://www.ourbetterworld.org.

The story of a girl who quit comfort to bring a change. Bringing Positive Change to many deep rooted social problems. Education if used with a purpose can bring big change At a very young age of 23, Soumya has done what many at 50 also haven’t. She initiated Project Baala with the grant received by her from Warwick University. Having travelled across 5 continents extensively - she holds a deep passion for bridging the gap she has seen around the world. She compliments this passion with years of experience on the field in and outside India. Working in rural Haryana and Delhi slums introduced her to the reality of many deep rooted social problems that gained a global perceptive with her work experience in the rural of Ghana and South Africa. Soumya comes from New Delhi and is an Economist from the University of Warwick. Her academic background very ably supports her passion and experience in community development and understanding of the economic development of the girls. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Baala and Tele Story have collaborated to end period illiteracy across the world.

352 Monks at Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery at Aani Gumba, Kapan welcomed @savethechildfoundation and @projectbaala and permanently cementing the fact that Sustainable Pads is the way to go. The Nuns have been great champions and warmly endorsed the benefits of the Baala Pads from our previous distribution in 2018. With great regard and appreciation the Save the Child Nepal team obliged to gift Sandals to the 352 Nuns at the monastery. A few have received Menstrual Cups as a Pilot Initiative from Save the Child Foundation in partnership with Could You? Cups. #savethechildfoundation #savethechildnepal #projectbaala #couldyou?cups

Menstruation Rally, Workshops , Memorandum for Badi Community ) On the first day of the conference, COMMIT Nepal welcomed us as guests and sponsors. Prakash Mani Sharma gave a welcome speech with the mention of the Supreme Court judgement on Badi community as a result of the writ filed by him and others. He also conducted a session on advocacy in the evening for the youths present. On the second day, we started with a menstrual hygiene rally which started from the premises of the Hotel with banners and placards on menstrual hygiene. The rally ended at B.P Chowk where different people spoke about menstrual hygiene and the importance of spreading awareness on it. Taniya was also one of the speakers. Then after our return to the session hall, the session was conducted. The zumba session saw the most energetic crowd of youths enjoying the dancing. Then we moved on to Sheetal and Taniya's story sharing through videos after which both of them spoke about their journeys. This was a part of COMMIT's itinerary scheduled as 'successful testimonials'. We then formed groups to discuss on their strengths, dreams, goals and challenges. On the third day, we started with a march to the Chief District Office, dressed in formals, where COMMIT submitted their list of demands for the welfare of Badi community. The demands were read out and positively acknowledged by the district officer with a promise to forward it to the Prime Minister's Office for quick response. Then we returned to the session hall and introduced the Baala Pads to the participants and distributed the pads. Later in the day, after the program had ended, we came back to introduce the menstrual cups to COMMIT Nepal's staff and distribute it to those willing to try it. #savethechildnepal #savethechildfoundation @connectdenfilms

Save the Child US Team, Changemakers2030 - Youth Volunteer Team, Project Baala and Save the Child Nepal team come together for two weeks to distribute more than 2000 Baala Pads, school supplies to children in need.