Yuvraj Jaisinghani (’21)
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank, ‘Anne Frank’s Tales From The Secret Annex’
Yuvraj Jaisinghani (‘21) has taken this sentiment to heart, jumping in to support a movement that aims to empower and change the lives of girls and women around the world. The organization, Fullstop, was founded and is run by Gen-Zs, intent on improving awareness, access and and advocacy for menstrual hygiene, especially in India. Yuvraj explains, “Unfortunately, it (menstrual hygiene) is considered a taboo topic in most parts of India, but our aim is to fix that. In terms of impact, we have distributed over 1 million menstrual product donations across India and conducted awareness sessions for over 6,500 students regarding menstrual hygiene in rural areas.” The group produces podcasts, runs information sessions, hosts fundraisers and supports rural women by commissioning them to make eco-friendly reusable cloth sanitary pads which have so far been distributed to more than 5,000 women.
It was a fortuitous meeting with Fullstop’s founder, Anjali Surana, at a Model United Nations (MUN) event in Singapore that led to Yuvraj getting onboard with Fullstop, where he now is part of the organization’s core group. He says, “I met Anjali, the founder of this organization, during the OxfordMUN conference in Singapore. We both were chairing committees. It is lovely to work with such a passionate group of people with a great mission and impact.”
Yuvraj’s role focuses on long-term planning and he spent the summer working on the organization’s soon-to-be-announced big project. While he can’t say what that is just yet, he offers, “…the main goal is easy access to free menstrual products…As we believe every woman should have access to them, it is time to normalize period products and look at them as a necessity in society, primarily in India.”
An ability to look at the many perspectives of different communities and evaluate needs has been an important part of the process. Yuvraj notes, “Let’s look at the problem of access and awareness for menstrual products. It has different applications for different types of communities. We need a different perspective while looking at how we can benefit these small communities and make one plan altogether. A lot of this comes from the discussions at my TOK class or overall IB skills in all classes. MUN, in particular, allowed me to link all this with SDGs and specific issues’ domains.”
Just like most of the other core members of Fullstop, Yuvraj will soon be leaving home (Malaysia) to start the next chapter of his education at
City, University of London, where he will be studying for a Bachelor of Science, International Political Economy. However, the business of Fullstop will continue, and Yuvraj says it already has given him a clearer understanding of the practicalities of the work of an NGO in such an important field. He says, “It gives me more ideas about social conditions and market behaviour, which helps me be more realistic with my ideas.”
Finally, Yuvraj hopes more ISKL alumni, students, and family members will join in to support Fullstop’s work, noting, “It is an excellent opportunity to dive into real-world work systems and learn more about building networks. I would also like to welcome people interested in the organization; we can find a way to connect!”
