There is a lot of stigma attached to menstrual hygiene and women often prefer hushing it up for a variety of reasons. Brining it out of the closet and reaching out to scores of women, particularly the rural women, Rotary Club Visakhapatnam Central (RCVC) has decided to set up a low-cost sanitary napkin machine for the first time in the city under its ‘Mother and Child Project’.
The unit will be sourced from Coimbatore in a couple of months as the club members approached founder of Jayaashree Industries A. Muruganantham, the man behind the campaign for affordable sanitary napkins, for the equipment who gave an instant nod to the proposal.
RCVC has drawn up an inclusive programme to involve as many women as possible and take forward the message of menstrual hygiene to rural girls and women, housemaids, vendors, ‘dhobis’ and all those who belong to less-privileged sections of society.
According to a recent study, more than 60 per cent of women in rural areas cannot afford sanitary napkins. As a result, most of them resort to other ways which are unhygienic. “This is leading to increased incidence of reproductive diseases, gynaecology related problems, cervical cancer and maternal mortality among women. To address the issue and provide a better option, we are empowering the members of Sampoorna – rehabilitation centre for the physically-challenged -- with the vocational training programme of manufacturing sanitary pads,” RCVC president Sonia Gupta.
TrainingTrainers from Jayaashree Industries, Coimbatore, would be arriving in the city shortly to train the team.
With the total project cost of making 1,500 napkins per day amounting to Rs.5 lakh a year, the club members have decided to shoulder the responsibility of marketing and financing and make sure the product is accessible to the masses. “The project aims at educating the women of lower-strata, facilitating skill development programme and providing quality sanitary napkins at Rs.2 per piece,” says Althaf Babjan, secretary of the club.
