Many poor girls do not attend school when they menstruate because they cannot afford their pads and they feel ashamed. The girls do not have adequate information. It is not only them, but many more who do not know the basics of their bodies and anatomy. They were brought up with the idea that it is a biological period, which today’s women take as a necessary evil. On the road to modernity, the ancestral knowledge of the original cultures was lost, which has a profound impact on the meaning of initiation into adulthood: the beginning of menstruation in girls.
Niñas Sabias is a group that has been working for years to empower girls, through specific education about this event, with clinical information given in a didactic way through five modules integrated in workshops. In addition to the information on the biological transformation of their bodies, Niñas Sabias, led by Hana and her group, has recovered the meaning of the initiation rite, thus educating the girls and making them feel proud to reach the beginning of another cycle.
Sacred menstruation, knowing myself to love myself, creative spiral matrix, my cycle, my inner guide, and the prayer of the girls, are the themes of each module, which integrate the initiation of the girl.
Wise Girls sows the seed of self-esteem, through valuing one’s own body, and contributes directly in putting the girls in charge of their own care, health and well-being. Each girl receives a kit with menstrual products specifically designed for girls of that age. These are reusable pads, which last up to three years, solving the problem of girls dropping out of school. At the same time, they reduce the environmental impact of commercial pads.
This menstrual education program, taught to more of 2,500 girls in Mexico, trains and certifies Niñas Sabias teachers. They lead interactive, multidisciplinary workshops full of color, music and symbols, in which the girls end up crowned with flowers as “Wise Girls.” Another of the benefits is the creation of micro-enterprises in the elaboration of products from the kit that is given free of charge to girls from marginalized communities. This program has been able to reach many girls and its objective is to reach many more, if the community continues to support this cause.
Get to know and support a Niñas Sabias Chapala: chapala.niñassabias.com
Write to us at: ninassabiaschapala@gmail.com
Ilsa Picazo
Nimbus # 2,
Cielo Vista, Libramiento
333 9047907
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