Spherule Foundation Conducted Menstrual Hygiene Session for over 100 Women Worker
To create a world where no woman or girl is held back because they menstruate, by 2030 is the theme of the World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022 which the entire world is celebrating on May 28th.
Since its inception, Spherule Foundation has been working across Pan India on awareness and breaking the taboos and silence existing around Menstrual health and hygiene. We also made Guinness world record in 2019 by conducting largest Awareness session on Menstrual health and hygiene
During lockdown Awareness sessions, workshops and distribution of sanitary napkins had come to almost complete halt. Because of the lockdown, many people lost their livelihood and now more than ever, lower middle class and economically poor families are reluctant to spend on sanitary pads. A lot of girls and young women are going back to their rudimentary ways of handling periods. The big leaps taken in the last decade by many NGOs on Menstrual hygiene reversed in just two years of lockdown. Understanding the problem, the NGO is working 10 times harder to spread awareness and ensure that by 2030 we can achieve the goal to create a world where no woman or girl is held back because they menstruate and that is not possible without sustainable solutions.
Spherule Foundation has an in-house and very affordable product-Stri Sanitary Napkin and has more than 8 lakh users who use Stri napkins, also total 180 women are employed from packaging to distribution work. However there is no denying that no matter how affordable napkins we manufacture, these have recurring cost every month and again it increases based on how many female family members one has in menstruating age.From this year we have started providing Menstrual cups at very affordable rates too.
During lockdown we distributed more than 350,000 sanitary napkins across India free of cost but we understood India needs a more sustainable and environment friendly solution so now we are focussing on more sustainable solutions like Menstrual cups. It takes more advocacy and effort to explain to beneficiaries why they should switch to cups as there is a lot of fear and doubt in minds of women and girls and it’s equally true for educated women as well. Monthly bleeding keeps many girls and women out of school or work, and puts them at risk of urinary tract infections if they use inferior products or make-do substitutes.
Menstrual cups are safe and also save money, which can be especially important for low-income communities and developing countries.
Menstrual cups can be worn for up to 12 hours at a time, depending on flow heaviness. They can also be reused after emptying them, and are easily sanitized in boiling water. Based on quality cups lasts 5-10 year.For people in poverty, those sorts of cost savings could be life-changing. In addition to saving money, using a menstrual cup can help keep disposable tampons and pads out of landfills, reducing 90% or more of plastic waste from period products
On the International menstruation day i.e. 28th May 2022, Spherule Foundation team conducted a Menstrual hygiene session in Hager Electro Pvt Ltd, Lonikand,Pune for more than 100 women workers working in their factory. We made them aware about menstrual cups,how to use them,and advantages of using them and distributed them free of cost.
From this year we are introducing menstrual cups in all our menstrual hygiene awareness sessions which we will be conducting Pan india in Schools,colleges and organizations