Meet Our Girl Icons

Girl Icon, Kiran - Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

As you stroll through the small town of Gosainganj in Lucknow, you'll encounter Kiran, an 18-year-old resourceful girl who possesses exceptional communication skills. Her empathy for others has driven her to seek solutions to problems faced by women and girls in her community.

Kiran's involvement with the Girl Icon Program in late 2022 highlighted a pervasive issue in her village: menstruation. Many women and young girls in her community are uncomfortable discussing menstruation or addressing related issues, which has led to serious health and reproductive problems due to the use of unhygienic materials. Kiran learned that some women resort to using unsanitary cloth soaked in gasoline or kitchen waste as makeshift pads, while others cannot afford soap to wash their soiled undergarments.

Determined to address this problem, Kiran spearheaded the "Hum Sab ki Soojh Boojh Karenge Pad Use", a ‘Gullak’ (piggy pank) initiative. She and her group of 20 peers each save ₹5 every week in a piggy bank, which they use to purchase proper sanitary pads. This initiative has not only aided their financial situation but also taught them valuable financial skills.

Kiran's passion for making a positive impact on society is inspiring. "This is a small initiative, but I would like to scale it and create awareness among the people of my village to do the same so that they can invest in their health,” she shares. Despite adversity, she has shown that a single person can create significant change, one small initiative at a time. Kiran's story serves as a beacon of hope, reminding us that we can all make a difference in the world if we put our minds to it.

Girl Icon, Khushboo - Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Meet Khushboo, a 20-year-old woman from an urban slum in Uttar Pradesh. Khushboo has been an activist for social change for the past few years through Milaan's Girl Icon program. Ayati funded the menstrual health education portion of the Girl Icon program where Khushboo learned about the physiology and management of her monthly cycle. As a Girl Icon, she pushed social boundaries and taboos by conducting skits with her peer group in the urban slum community to spread this education. Prior to Khushboo’s push for change, she and her peer group were not allowed to even leave their homes. They encountered ignorance and opposition to any type of education from not only their parents but also their brothers. Leaving home for anything other than work was considered disrespectful and not allowed.

Khushboo was persistent even through challenging times, such as when she and her group were physically assaulted in the park (where these peer group meetings were held) by boys, and also when she faced family resistance. In her bi-weekly meetings, her community peers were educated on menstrual biology and management, as well as on social awareness. Through these interactions and discussions, they developed courage and confidence. Most importantly, Khushboo registered in school and assisted a handful of community girls to enroll in school as well. Khusboo is now a college student, and she is the first in her family to ever even think of having a future outside her slum. In our eyes, Khushoo is a rockstar!