Israeli Embassy Launches Women Empowerment Project ‘Saaras’ In Ghaziabad

The centre was inaugurated on Tuesday by Naor Gilon, the Israeli ambassador to India as part of project “Saraas”, an initiative of the Israeli embassy in India, in collaboration with NGO Khushii.

Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan

In a bid to promote menstrual hygiene and empower women, the Embassy of Israel in India launched a special project -- Saaras -- in collaboration with Khushii Foundation in Ghaziabad. Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India and Anirudh Khaitan,  President Khushii Foundation, inaugurated the centre on Tuesday which has eco-friendly and cost-effective sanitary napkins among other facilities. 

The centre also has a manufacturing unit which was established with assistance from MASHAV, an Agency for International Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel.

On the occasion, Ambassador Naor Gilon said: “It is a special project that aims at spreading awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, and building skills and capacity for women.”

Emphasising the need for overall feminine wellbeing and cleanliness, Executive Director of Khushii Foundation, Harish Gosain said the project has enormous potential to strengthen young females at the basic phase of their life.

“Feminine wellbeing and cleanliness are very much overseen for a very long time, it has an enormously high potential to add to expanding female strengthening at a basic phase of a young girl's life. Therefore, I am elated to be a part of such an empowering change,” Gosain said.

Ahead of the launch of this project, doctors from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, in association with Khushii Foundation and the Embassy of Israel, organised an awareness camp on menstrual hygiene.

Saaras Project

Saaras builds the foundation of menstrual health and hygiene for women through social support, knowledge, skills, facilities and quality materials. Right from production to distribution, the entire process engages a team of women from local communities, trained by the Khushii Foundation.

The project has also been launched in collaboration with accredited social health activists (ASHA) workers from the Ghaziabad health department who have not only helped sensitize the community of women but also mobilised them.

In addition to all this, the Indian Institute of Public Health has also assigned intern doctors to be part of the project to map the community’s current position and evaluate their needs by going door to door.