Educate 100,000 young girls in Vellore district about puberty and menstrual hygiene

As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), in 2014, Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, India, has the highest number of cases of child sexual abuse. The least of the numbers seem to indicate that at least 40% of Indian children are sexually abused, mostly by their own family members.

The conservative culture of India prevents many from speaking and discussing about sex and reproductive health openly (including schools). Hence, many children grow up ignorant to the signs of sexual abuse.

Physical injuries of victims of child sexual abuse may heal over a period of time, but the psychological scars will remain for life.

We work with the Ministry of Women and Child Development of Government of India as a partner for implementing child-line project in Vellore District.

One of the ways we have is to visit schools and educate the adolescents on sex and reproductive health. We make an audio-visual presentation and then distribute a colourful comic book called 'Menstrupedia' which beautifully illustrates menstrual hygiene in the most child-friendly manner that anyone can imagine.

We intend to distribute 10,000 books in our district to make a net impact one one lakh girls, but we need more funds for that.

We believe that this empowerment has many dividends. The educated adolescent knows how to take care of herself, to become tomorrows healthy adult who would pass on that information to her own children in the future. Hence, the impact that we intend to create wouldn't just touch one life, but an entire generation.