Priyamani to raise funds for education of girls

Multilingual film actress Priyamani will be running a marathon in Bengaluru to raise funds for girls' education and sanitation.

She will be running the TCS World 10K Marathon on May 19 in support of NGO Habitat for Humanity India.

Priyamani has partnered with the NGO to create awareness on safe sanitation and menstrual hygiene for girls under the campaign -- "Stay At School".

"The school drop-out rate for girls is drastically rising owing to lack of toilets and knowledge of menstrual hygiene. Lack of access to basic sanitation facilities can be a traumatic experience for girls especially during menstruation period and have an adverse impact on their health," Priyamani said in a statement.

The "Drona" actress says as a concerned citizen and a woman, she feels it is her duty and responsibility to focus attention on this issue.

"By participating in the marathon I am taking a step forward in helping the girls stay in school," she added.

Talking about the initiative, Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India said: "Every year, more than 23 million girls drop out of school after reaching puberty".

"The major reason for the high dropout rate is lack of hygienic sanitation facilities in the school... We aim to create awareness and ask more people to support the cause."