Written by: Karishma Surana, Myna Mahila Foundation
“Empowering women is the key to building the future we want.” — Amartya Sen
India, a country where the status of a woman has radically changed since Independence, but also a country that remains largely patriarchal. Both structural and cultural changes over the years have provided numerous opportunities to women to participate in various domains of life, though often merely on paper rather than in reality. With the help of these changes, women exploitation came down a notch and fuelled the much requisite concept of gender equality.
Gender equality is and has always been a human right. A woman is entitled to lead a dignified life, free from want and fear, and there is no doubt that being independent is the key. But empowering women is also an indispensable tool for development.
All these aspects raise the question of how a girl can truly be independent. If you ask me, a woman embarks on her journey to complete independence only when she is physically, financially and emotionally independent, and I truly believe that Myna Mahila Foundation has helped numerous females to take the plunge and begin this journey.
Myna Mahila puts in action the concept of overall development in true spirit. It shapes women who not only have the power to dream, but also the luxury to make these dreams come true by shaping them into creative and critical thinkers through their constructive training programmes and employment opportunities.
An important facet of being independent — i.e. physical independence — is polished. Myna enables women to not only know more about but also accept their bodies as they are via creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual practices that are still clouded by taboos and cultural restrictions in our country. These taboos often result in adolescent girls remaining oblivious to the scientific facts and hygienic health practices, which sometimes lead to adverse health complications. Awareness about menstrual hygiene provides a powerful entry point to empower women and girls, dispel myths and truly bring about a change in routine practices.
Like the silver lining to a dark cloud, Myna has become a guided pathway to independence for many females who, at some point, may have seen their future as dark and bleak.