Bhubaneswar :  For the first time, Humara Bachpan Trust (HBT), Bhubaneswar based Pan India NGO under its Future Ready Women Programme, has taken the initiative to observe World Menopause Day across its operational areas, reaching more than 1,000 middle-aged women across 25 rural, tribal and urban communities, seven Gram Panchayats and five blocks in four districts of Odisha—Khordha, Puri, Keonjhar and Kandhamal and one district in Madhya Pradesh.

The initiative seeks to break the silence surrounding menopause, improve awareness of midlife women's health, and encourage women to recognise symptoms, access appropriate healthcare and prioritise their physical and emotional well-being.

The 2026 World Menopause Day theme, “Chronic Pain at Midlife,” draws attention to an important yet frequently overlooked aspect of women's health. Menopause is a natural stage of life, but the physical and emotional changes associated with it often remain poorly understood. Symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, anxiety, brain fog, and bone and joint pain can affect women's health, relationships, livelihoods and quality of life.

In many communities, limited awareness, persistent myths, social stigma and inadequate access to health information prevent women from discussing their experiences or seeking timely medical advice. The impact extends beyond individual women, affecting families, workplaces and communities.

Through this initiative, Humara Bachpan Trust is positioning menopause awareness as an essential component of women's health, dignity and empowerment. The programme focuses on women aged 40–55 years, providing safe and supportive spaces for conversations about menopause, its symptoms, nutrition, sleep, mental well-being and the importance of seeking medical care when needed.

As part of the month-long awareness campaign, HBT is undertaking sensitisation meetings and community-level engagements. Activities in Bhubaneswar include group discussions, creative painting sessions and open-house conversations to encourage women to share experiences, question myths and learn from one another.

The planned programme of activities also includes health screening in coordination with Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), yoga and meditation sessions, and capacity-building for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) to serve as Menopause Champions within their communities. Block-level programmes involving relevant stakeholders are also planned across Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Bhubaneswar and Puri, alongside activities in Madhya Pradesh.

By combining community awareness, preventive health engagement and frontline worker capacity-building, HBT aims to strengthen the local support systems available to women navigating midlife and menopause.

The initiative reflects the Trust's commitment to building future-ready women who are informed, healthy, confident and able to make decisions about their own lives. It also underscores the need to bring midlife women's health into mainstream public health conversations and strengthen access to reliable information and appropriate healthcare.

The message is simple: women should not have to navigate this stage of life in silence. Awareness, understanding and access to care can help them approach midlife with greater confidence, dignity and support.

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