A Bunch Of Young Minds Are Changing Perception Around Menstruation

Highlights

Paddling Foundation is a non-profit organization and a menstrual hygiene initiative based out of Mumbai, India. They work towards creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene as it is one of the most incognizant issues India faces today.

The team, along with volunteers, does on-ground campaigning, distribution of menstrual products and spreads awareness about menstrual health and hygiene to women and girls in remote areas.

Paddling foundation aims to empower menstruators on menstrual hygiene and menstrual health through education and awareness. They have a volunteer setup where one can join their cause by registering on their site through the form.

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Paddling Foundation is a non-profit organization and a menstrual hygiene initiative based out of Mumbai. They work towards creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene as it is one of the most incognizant issues India faces today. Founded by Dipika Daga in December 2018, who set up her team and departments by February 2019. Paddling Foundation got registered in 2019.

“Personally struggling with the menstrual taboos engraved in the society inspired me to gather like-minded individuals to fight against the menstrual taboo, while also making menstrual hygiene and menstrual education a right of every woman and not a luxury”, adds Dipika.

If menstrual hygiene is not taken into consideration and no effective measures are taken, the taboo surrounding menstruation will persist. Periods, a biological function of the body, will continue to be misunderstood causing diseases and infections, as well as psychological impacts on mental health. Paddling is devoted to cultivating a healthy and informative discussion around menstruation.

“Paddling Foundation is led by some very courageous women and men who have the power to speak their mind”, says Riddhi Sharma, CEO & Founder. “Being a woman, I have often been at the receiving end of the ‘taboos’ and ‘stigma’ associated with the period. And hence, when I met these young driven minds, with clarity of thought and passion for the cause, I found myself effortlessly joining the movement.”

Nandina Ramchandran, CEO has been mentoring the team of ten young women and men. “They wish to change attitudes on menstruation and bring in a revolution in menstrual practices, habits and behaviours in India. This will go a long way in restoring gender parity and empowerment for women – both in urban and rural India”, she feels.

Their plan and work involves looking after school sanitation project in remote areas, imparting workshops and health camp on Menstrual health and education, free distribution of sanitary napkins in areas that lack access, availability, or awareness of menstrual products, setting up Menstrual shops selling menstrual products at a subsidized rate, thus providing them a source of income while also catering to the community at large.

They also encourage use of sustainable menstrual products and eco-friendly ways of disposal of sanitary napkins.

“Our mission is simple”, says Dipika. “ We want to create a healthy and destigmatized environment and generate awareness about menstrual health and hygiene in communities across India”.

Breaking The Taboo

Paddling Foundation is also working hard to eradicate social myths & taboos that have revolved around menstruation for generations and create an environment for a healthy discussion and understanding of it.

The team, along with volunteers, does on-ground campaigning, distribution of menstrual products and spreads awareness about menstrual health and hygiene to women and girls in remote areas.

Their recent campaign was a collaboration with Kathaa India for a donation of 1500 pads to New Delhi. In its collaboration with Youngistaan Army, Paddling distributed 800 pads in the areas around Dombivali to girls and women to whom access to these products is not possible.

Gender Inclusivity in Menstruation

One of their important campaigns involves creating awareness about trans persons who menstruate. Menstruation is not just a woman thing. With half the world menstruating at one time or another, they believe that it is important to build a gender-inclusive platform revolving solely around menstruation and normalize the discussion!

One of the lesser-known facts in our society is that any person with functioning ovaries and a uterus can menstruate. And apart from cisgender women, this includes certain transgender, non-binary and intersex individuals. While the stigma and the challenges around menstruation remain, there are some additional difficulties which are faced by individuals in the queer community.

Drawing from real life instances faced by people, they want to show the relationship between gender dysphoria and menstruation, voicing a need for taking steps towards a more inclusive menstruation; through demanding gender neutral packages, toilets and more.

Paddling Warriors

They have a volunteer set up where one can join their cause by registering on their site through the form. “It is voluntary to be a part of Paddling, for which just fill out the forms from the careers menu above, once they are filled and submitted, the respective department holds interview on call, and volunteers are selected according to the required eligibility”.

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Article updated on 21-12-2021

Public health officials revealed the presence of a new strain of COVID 19 to WHO on 24 November 2021 and was classified as a variant of concern by WHO on 26 November 2021. This virus, named COVID’s Omicron variant, is not something you should take lightly. Information from South Africa says that the variant has a large number of mutations and has caused a detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology. Infano answers some FAQs.

What is COVID’s Omicron variant?

The World Health Organization has warned the new Covid-19 omicron variant is spreading faster than any previous strain, and it is probably present in most countries of the world.

“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a Covid update in Geneva. “Seventy-seven countries have now reported cases of omicron. And the reality is that omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.”

Is this variant dangerous?

Reports say that people with Omicron can have the full spectrum of disease, everything from asymptomatic infection, mild infection, people needing hospitalization, and people have died from Omicron. It has so far been noted that Omicron may be less severe compared to Delta. But if cases rise then so will hospitalizations, and if a health care system is overburdened, people will die because they won’t get the appropriate care that they need.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, American infectious disease epidemiologist

“Now, don’t be fooled”, says Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, a member of the Health Emergencies Program at the World Health Organization. “Even if we have a virus that causes less severe disease, this virus can affect vulnerable populations. And we know people with underlying conditions, people of advanced age, if they are infected with any variant of SARS-CoV-2, including Omicron, they are at an increased risk of developing severe disease. So, it is really critical that even if we do see more mild disease, we still do everything that we can to reduce transmission in all populations, people who are vaccinated, as well as people who are not vaccinated”.

The Current State of COVID’s Omicron Variant

Omicron is more contagious and spreads faster but it is not yet clear whether the strain causes more mild or severe disease than the past variants of the coronavirus. Omicron has been detected in more than 77 countries, but it’s likely that it’s present in other countries as well. Businesses around the world are still meeting new rules for monitoring the epidemic. Questions still surround the transmission of Omicron, re-infection with this virus, or severe disease. WHO is working to find the answer by understanding the possible impact on vaccine effectiveness. Studies are on to find out more about the following:

Transmissibility, or ease of spread from person to person, of Omicron as compared to other variants
Severity of infection and re-infection with Omicron
Performance of current COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron
Performance of diagnostic tests, including antigen tests, to detect infection with Omicron
Effectiveness of current treatments for management of patients with COVID-19 disease

A recent update from www.indiatoday.in says “South Africa-based Discovery Health CEO Dr Ryan Noach, has updated that while doctors have noted a slightly different set of symptoms among the patients diagnosed with Omicron, the most common early sign includes a scratchy throat and nasal congestion. The symptoms were also confirmed among patients in the UK, who had four symptoms as well including headache and fatigue. An analysis of cases between December 3 and December 10 in the UK showed that ‘predominantly’ cold-like symptoms were the most common signs of Omicron. The symptoms reported in the ZOE Symptom Tracking Study are runny nose, headache, fatigue (either mild or severe), sneezing and sore throat.”

How You Can Stay Safe

Even though the vaccine is highly effective, there are some instances when someone will be infected even after being vaccinated themselves. In these cases, you could also be spreading the virus to unsuspecting people as well – making it extremely important to practice protective measures.

Every individual needs to practice regular and safety protocols despite vaccination. With the recent outbreaks and the disease spreading across countries, it is paramount to be mindful and prevent infection each and every day.

To protect yourself and others from COVID-19 variants it is important that you continue to practice the following:

Keep a distance of at least 1 metre from others
Wear a well-fitted mask over your mouth and nose
Open windows
Cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue
Clean your hands frequently
Get vaccinated, as soon as it is your turn

In fact, WHO suggests that people avoid traveling to countries where they are most common or where outbreaks are reported. However, if you cannot stay away from high-risk areas, there are ways to try and minimize your risk of infection. So it is better to stay safe to stay healthy.

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