Promoting menstrual hygiene and fighting cancer
RAC Chandigarh Midtown, RID 3080, conducted two major service initiatives in April focused on menstrual hygiene awareness and paediatric cancer support.
The club led Suraksha Kawach, a month-long campaign across the Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula Tricity region to distribute 10,000 sanitary pads in government schools, urban slums and underserved communities. The initiative was carried out in partnership with Noparvah Premium Sanitary Pads and supported by the Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midtown.
More than 120 Rotaractors volunteered over 400 hours for the campaign, conducting awareness sessions for schoolgirls, door-to-door outreach in slum areas including Bapu Dham Colony, Mauli Jagran and Indira Colony, and distribution through anganwadi centres. Female Rotaractors and ASHA workers led sessions on menstrual hygiene and health awareness. “The involvement of female Rotaractors and ASHA workers highlighted that the initiative focused not only on distributing sanitary pads but also on menstrual health education and awareness. Their participation helped create a more comfortable environment for girls and women to discuss menstruation openly, while the presence of ASHA workers added community trust and public health credibility to the outreach efforts,” says Aman Garg, the past president of the club.
The campaign concluded with a rally at the Sukhna Lake, where participants carried messages promoting menstrual health awareness and dignity for women and girls.
Garg says the initiative aimed to address the lack of access to hygienic menstrual products among adolescent girls and women in underserved communities. The club plans to make Suraksha Kawach an annual project and expand its reach in the coming years.
Separately, the club organised the fifth edition of its fundraiser, Bowl Out Cancer 5.0, on April 23 and 24 at Fun City CP67, a gaming mall. The event drew
more than 200 participants and raised over ₹3 lakh for the treatment of two children with cancer.
“All proceeds from the event will support two paediatric cancer patients receiving treatment at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. The beneficiaries were identified and verified in coordination with doctors at the institute,” adds Garg.
The fundraiser, now in its fifth year, has become “one of the club’s flagship service projects aimed at supporting children undergoing cancer treatment while also creating awareness about paediatric cancer care.”
