Sanitary Napkin….
A Boon for Rural India
Jitesh Rath
NGO/Companies have initiated a
unique concept of linking women’s health with their livelihood at various rural
locations by establishing Sanitary Napkin Units, in further to that even in the
most remote location like including South Bastar & Malkangiri have also
been sanctified by establishing Sanitary Napkin Unit. This has provided livelihood
opportunity for many rural/tribal women coming from unreached region. In this
context, some relevant findings were echoed by a 2011 survey by AC Nielsen,
commissioned by the Indian government, which found that only 12% of women
across India use sanitary pads. It was shocking to learn that women not only
use old rags, but also use other unhygienic substances such as sand, sawdust,
leaves and even ash. Women who do use cloths are often too embarrassed to dry
them in the sun, which means they don't get disinfected. Approximately 70% of
all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual hygiene, which
can also maternal mortality.
Girls and women in resource-poor
settings often lack access to sanitary pads, and the consequences they suffer
as a result have only recently begun to receive serious attention. We’re often
asked, “Why sanitary pads? Is it really that significant a problem?” The answer
is yes: for countless girls and women, sanitary pads are an unaffordable
luxury.
Among the thousands of girls most explained that they were forced to resort to unsanitary and sometimes unsafe measures to meet their needs. These include retrieving and recycling used disposable pads and improvising makeshift pads from old clothes, rags, newspapers, bits of mattress, and other readily available materials. The lack of affordable sanitary pads has been widely cited as one of the key obstacles to regular school attendance among adolescent girls.
The
Initiatives taken by Government, NGO & Companies through their CSR module
are trying to emerge the society by keeping safe & hygiene practices on
Periods.
