Women Cell of Sacred Heart College (Autonomous) along with P.G. & Research Department of Social Work and P. G. Department of Counselling & Psychology in collaboration with Sanitation First India, Chennai jointly organized an awareness talk on ‘Menstrual Health and Endometriosis’, on 1^st of March 2022, at Kamarajar Arangam, Sacred Heart College, Thirupattur. Ms. Padmapriya T.S. was the resource person for the day, who is the chief executive of Sanitation First India, Chennai.  She works in an NGO which promotes sustainable non-sewered sanitation for better health, hygiene and savings, to save scarce water resource for drinking, and to prevent untreated waste from entering the environment or polluting water sources. She has over 22 years of experience in top management roles of leading international development organisations such as CARE, Save the Children UK, University of Washington I-TECH, and British Council.

The key take aways from the days talk were: brief orientation about menstruation, the common stigma that exist in the society that associates with mensuration, the process of menstruation and menstrual cycle, physical changes that happen during the period of puberty, scientific and logic reasons for the practice which was/ is there among many families during the menstruation, emotional and physical disturbances which women experience during menstrual cycle, methods to be used in disposing sanitary napkins, and methos of using menstrual cups & its benefits. Resource person also explained about Endometriosis, the disorder which most of the women have even without being aware of that disorder. Symptoms, treatment and precautions on endometriosis were instructed to the audience. Finally, the program was wrapped up with question-and-answer session, where many participants clarified their doubts with the resource person and were enlightened with the awareness of this rarely out spoken topic. Around 1000 girl students of both Shift I & Shift II participated and benefited through this program.                 

 The session began at 02.30 p.m. with a prayer song, followed by welcome address and introduction to the resource person. The resource person was then honoured by Rev. Fr. Praveen Peter, Vice Principal, and Mrs. Merceline Anita, Dean, Women Cell, Sacred Heart College.