Collaborative initiative for period literacy and career guidance

Nirman.org, an NGO started by students of BITS Pilani and PURE (People for Urban and Rural Education), another NGO started by an NRI today joined hands for career guidance and period literacy.

Mayur Patnala, CEO, Nirman said this collaborative initiative, called RISE, a rare one between NGOs will bring career guidance and menstrual hygiene management awareness workshops to all government high schools in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

We aim to reach out to 13000 schools and 26 lakh children. We will reach out to 6000 schools in Telangana and 7000 in Andhra Pradesh by the end of next year, shared Shyla Talluri, Founder and CEO, of PURE.

Born in India, Shyla moved to the United States over 23 years ago and has since developed herself as an accomplished entrepreneur, IT leader, and voice for global change.

We would like to make it a massive public moment, pledged promoters of both NGOs.

No girl child should stop school for want of hygienic menstrual supply, said Shyla. Women bleed for 1 tenth of their life. Seven years or 2555 days in the life of a girl/woman aged between 11 years to 55 years, they bleed. It is a natural and biological process. Period poverty shouldn't be an obstacle for girls to pursue their studies, she said.

There is a lack of awareness about the period for girls, particularly in rural areas. We must educate them. We also need to sensitize boys, she added. Even in developed countries like the United States of America, one in 5 misses school because of period poverty, she informed.

Several youth are unable to take the right career guidance. Career counselling can help individuals make informed decisions about their careers, leading to greater satisfaction and success.

There is a lack of awareness and information about the various career options available for students after passing out of school in India. There is no culture of visiting a career counsellor in India. Well over 95 per cent of students are aware of less than ten career options, while there are more than 600 plus career options available today. In contrast, there are more than 600 career options available today. Therefore., the awareness levels of all the available career options for a student need to be increased, said Mayur Patnala.

In the past 18 years of our journey, we have impacted the lives of 2+ million beneficiaries with the support of 400+ full-time employees and 1000+ strong volunteer network, generating 200+ Crore worth of Social Impact through 25+ Flagship Programs & Social Leadership Initiatives he added