In India alone, research has shown that as many as 1 in 5 girls and children with periods drop out of school when they begin menstruating. The lack of access to menstrual supplies and toilets, partnered with outdated taboos, leads to over 10 million school dropouts in India each year.
Did you know that research shows the 5th most important thing we can do to fight the climate crisis is keep girls in school? Stopping this mass exodus by providing menstruation education and safe sanitation is key to a brighter future, not only for women across the world but also for our planet.
This is why last year Lauren partnered with The Cycle (previously known as Sanitation First). Since 2010, The Cycle has been working in Indian schools educating kids and teachers around periods, giving out eco ‘SafePads’ made with antimicrobial material, and building toilet facilities to ensure privacy, health and safety for students.
This year we are excited to continue our partnership with The Cycle as part of our Inner Dimension TV Gives Program to raise awareness for their work and shine a spotlight on the problems they are tackling. Below is some additional information about this amazing organization that works to lift up communities in need through the empowerment of women.
Introducing The Cycle
The Cycle is a nonprofit on a mission to strengthen all people and the planet through the empowerment of women. Its goal is to give everybody the opportunity to thrive through safe, sustainable sanitation and gender equality.
Their work is split into 3 pillars: Water, Women & World.
The Cycle focuses on providing safe and sustainable WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) services and improving menstrual health conditions. They work with underserved communities and listen to local knowledge in order to provide the right solutions that last.
The problems the Cycle is working to reverse
1. The Cycle believes everyone deserves access to clean water and a safe toilet.
2.3 billion people worldwide do not have a toilet; the consequences of open defecation kills more children than Aids, Malaria, and Measles combined. Every year, over 300,000 children under five die from some form of diarrhoeal based disease; dirty hands, flies and contaminated earth make home and school a deadly place to be.
2. The Cycle believes in equal opportunity and Education for all.
As previewed above, In India alone, research has shown that as many as 1 in 5 girls leave school when they start their periods due to lack of toilets and taboos, perpetuating gender inequality and poverty.
3. A nourished planet nourishes us
14 billion liters worldwide of untreated faecally contaminated wastewater are released into the environment each day, polluting water sources and destroying local ecology.
The Impact that the Cycle has had
Throughout the years the Cycle has witnessed how the provision of eco-toilets and period education programs act as the fundamental linchpins to community development. Toilets provided by The Cycle create health and safety. The Cycle’s menstrual programs empower women with excellent menstrual, sexual and reproductive health literacy, eradicate taboos and keep girls in school.
The Cycle’s Impact in Numbers
• Built over 5,000 eco-toilets
• Kept 11,500 girls in schools
• Provided 75,000 people with clean and safe sanitation
• Given 5,000 families the chance to keep their children healthy
• Reduced infant mortality in over 150 communities likely saving an estimated 900 babies
• Created 250 tons of soil healing compost every year
• Brought health, safety, dignity and happiness to 600,000 people.
Join Inner Dimension TV in learning more about The Cycle and supporting its mission. To start off, tell your friends and family to sign up for Inner Dimension TV, make a gift subscription purchase for someone you love, or purchase any of our online teacher training programs at Inner Dimension Academy, and enter the code CYCLE. Anytime this code is used, 50% of the purchase will go directly toward supporting The Cycle. Also, please stay tuned for other special events as we continue to partner with the Cycle to raise awareness and give back.
Our mission is to help you achieve your highest potential, and no one can do that without living a life of purpose, which includes giving back and being of service to community, especially underserved groups. Please know that through your Inner Dimension TV subscription and Inner Dimension Academy course purchases, you’re giving back and making a difference in the lives of others!
Below are some recommended practices to foster this spirit of giving and generosity:
https://asdijo12.wpengine.com/classes/giving-it-love/
https://asdijo12.wpengine.com/classes/generosity/
https://asdijo12.wpengine.com/classes/fierce-compassion-2/
https://asdijo12.wpengine.com/classes/metta-in-motion/