Hockaday student-founded nonprofit tackles period poverty in Texas and India
Shoppers munched on bite-sized pastries as they wandered the pink Palace of Versailles, ornately decorated rooms in pastel hues and gold accents.
Fifteen percent of the proceeds from clothing purchased during a recent five-hour charity shopping event at Love Shack Fancy in Highland Park Village were donated to improving women’s health.
Started by Daniya Ritham Chandy, a senior at Hockaday High School, the Girls Wellness Initiative aims to reduce period poverty and promote women’s health education both locally and internationally through donating sanitary kits and hosting seminars at high schools.
Ritham Chandy founded the charity after realising that many girls were losing out on free sanitary products during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as schools began to close.
Risam Chandy set up a small fundraiser by asking family and friends for donations. She was able to raise enough money to donate 800 sanitary napkins to girls in Mumbai, India.
She expanded her efforts by recruiting girls from schools in Hockaday and across Texas and establishing as many chapters of the charity as possible.
Currently, Girls Wellness Initiative has six chapters across Texas and over 50 mentors across the country, who take turns raising funds for women in Texas and India.
In May, Girls Wellness Initiative was able to donate over 12,500 period kits to Denton.
One of the ways the initiative raises money is through events, like one that Director of Event Management Addison Willis hosted at Love Shack Fancy in early June.
“I knew Love Shack Fancy had hosted a similar event before,” Willis said, “so I called one of the store associates and told them there was a great charity I wanted to raise money for through the store.”
The nonprofit also aims to help girls understand their bodies and how best to care for them: They host “Health and Hygiene Seminars” for underprivileged Texas girls.
“The health education curriculum in Texas is less than optimal,” says Risam Chandy, “There are many limitations to what is taught in schools, and as a result, girls are not always receiving the best and most accurate information. For example, 58% of schools teach abstinence only, and 25% do not offer any sex education at all.”
The health and hygiene seminars are based on school curricula and aim to give young women the tools they need to understand and care for their bodies. The seminars cover topics such as the reproductive system, menstrual hygiene, menstrual product options, dating, violence prevention and sometimes mental health.
The Girls Wellness Initiative also hosts anonymous question-and-answer forums with gynaecologists and family doctors, where girls can ask private questions without feeling embarrassed, says Risam Chandy. “It’s so important that women have the resources, both physical and educational, to take care of their health.”
