‘Cup of Life’, a project being implemented by Hibi Eden, MP, on Wednesday entered the Guinness Book of World Records by distributing 1,00,001 free menstrual cups across 126 venues in 24 hours.
Arguably the world’s largest menstrual hygiene campaign, ‘Cup of Life’ is being implemented in association with Muthoot Finance, which allocated ₹1.50 crore from its CSR fund. Ernakulam district administration and IMA Kochi were also part of the project.
The official announcement by Guinness World Records Adjudicator Swapnil Dhangarigar was made at a special stage prepared at the Lulu Mall Atrium.
The cups were collected by the nodal officers and representatives of all 126 venues from the counters set up at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium on August 30. Free distribution to those who had pre-registered was completed on August 31 at 5 p.m.
Registration process was conducted through local bodies, colleges, voluntary organizations and major institutions of Ernakulam Parliamentary Constituency.
Two-month-long awareness campaigns and technical sessions were organised as part of the project. IMA Kochi trained about a thousand volunteers on menstrual hygiene and the use of menstrual cups.
More than 40 doctors are associated with the project. Doctors appointed by IMA conducted scientific studies on menstrual cups and selected the cups.
Hundreds of men, including college students and celebrities, experienced menstrual cramps through pain simulators displayed at various centres.
An open discussion on the topic of menstruation was also held on a Kochi Metro train from Aluva to Pettah. Discussions were also organized in various colleges.
Actors Asif Ali and Ramesh Pisharody, Mr. Eden, district collector Renu Raj, Muthoot Finance managing director George Alexander Muthoot, deputy managing director George M. George, Lulu Malls India director Shaji Philip, IMA Kochi President Maria Varghese, Junaid Rahman, general convener of the project, M.M. Hanish, chief coordinator, and Akhil Xavier, manual project coordinator were present.
