MC Shakti Girl’s Yoga Camp is one of the most joyous and uplifting programs to grace our SwAr Ashram. This initiative fuses Yoga with holistic female health beginning with girls near at at the age of menarche. The goal is to empower them from the start, overwriting the old patterns of negativity surrounding our monthly cycles with new empowering content.
All of Amma’s Shakti Projects are designed for the upliftmentand empowerment of women and girls in our Maheshwar community in rural India, partnered with women world-wide. The Shakti Projects include the following:
MC Desi Shakti Pad Program for provides girl students with FREE eco- and bio-friendly feminine hygiene protection and health education to ensure their comfort and safety while not missing educational opportunities due to Moon Cycle challenges.
This program began with Amma creating and testing several cloth pad designs, then training local women to create sets of cloth reusable feminine pads which are made of layers of absorbent washable, anti-bacterial, quick drying poly-fleece MC cloth, cotton designer prints and eco-friendly waterproof liner material, with a snap-on/off design to create compact, safe and comfortable pads to wear in the classroom or on the job with modular changeability and a matching waterproof bag to carry an extra change. There are 9 pads in each set plus 3 modular ‘wing-style’ snap on-off bases, specially designed to holds them securely in the undergarment. A waterproof designer bag, for used pads to be discretely carried home for washing, is included. This is a popular product in the western Yoga community as it does not expose the sensitive areas of the body to carcinogenic chemicals, nor pollute the environment nor burden the over-use of tree consumption (as paper pads do). These pads are a success with our girls who often do not have a proper wash room or even a waste bin in the school to dispose of paper products. The cost of paper pads being prohibitive in the first place, most very poor girls in India are also aware about the health dangers of paper pads. The bleached white fiberous materials in paper pads contain agents known to cause feminine cancers.
We choose to provide high quality materials, hire local seamstresses, produce and distribute designer stitched, contoured, comfortable eco-cotton cloth pads as an educated rejection of paper disposable pads / tampons. These cloth pads, with leak-proof lining and snap closures are a welcome product for health and environmental enthusiasts. The colorful fashion printed designs constructing the pads’ bases are meant to be enjoyed by the users as a reminder that menstruating females are beautiful, creative and proud.
These lovely personal items are distributed free during our educational programs : a set of pads, wet-bag, and a comic book about feminine hygiene. We aim to present to 27 local school girls 4 times per year. This initiative was started by Amma in 2015 and since 2017 has expanded from MC Satsang with pads and educational material distribution to a full day of Yoga, Girl’s Health, Hygiene, Nutrition & Arts with Pad and Educational Materials distribution . We are continuing stitching until we have reached ‘export quality’. A campaign will be launched eventually to co-sell sets of these pads to the worldwide community. For each set sold, another set will be given to a local girl in Maheshwar along with the educational program and book.
It is a blessing that women are so endowed to gestate life. Our MC cycles should be rejoiced over and not a cause of isolation, oppression or fears. There is no need for our girls to suffer loss of 5 days per month of education or social isolation, confined to the home because of Nature’s great gift of Menstruation. MC Desi Shakti Pad Program is here to empower girls to embrace their feminine power, the special sacred time of the month should remind them of their super-powers as future life-bearers. Amma tells us that her presence in the community is not to amass trained followers but to train leaders – to train our girls to grow into strong and confident women!
To further ensure our girls will reach their dreams- a Mentoring Program for Young Women in college or starting a career or business. An International Women’s Day Circle was held at Narmada Ghat where this program was announced to a core group of Amma’s students. These vibrant young women have adopted the name ‘Sisters of Narmada’. The members of this Sisterhood will be the first to participate in the Namaste Didi Mentoring Program. To participate as a Mentor or Mentee, please inquire to amma@SwArAshram.net . A google-doc application form will be emailed to you by request, or
CLICK HERE for the form online.
SHAKTI PROJECT: creating a safety networking program for the empowerment of women subjected to domestic violence, assault, rape, trafficking, forced marriage /dowry, mental illness, elder abuse, suicidal thoughts, child abuse.
If you feel moved to participate in any of these programs, and have questions, please contact Amma by posting a comment or send an email message as detailed above.