The Need Of The Hour - Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines

There are over 350+ million women and girls of reproductive age. Now, if all of them used sanitary napkins and disposed of them in the garbage, almost ninety billion cubic feet of landfill space would be needed just to accommodate their menstrual waste.

This puts an untenable demand on already overburdened landfills. Not to mention the disease-causing factors of open landfills that spread germs and disease in an air-borne – through flies and mosquitoes and water-borne – when these landfills leach into the waterways of the surrounding houses, ways.

Then multiply those number by the generations that have passed and the generations to come.

Solution to the future generations

Sanitary napkin vending machines are life-savers for these girls. Instead of feeling lost and confused or embarrassed, these girls now have access to sanitary napkins any time, any day.

As a start to this effort, WASH - water, sanitation and hygiene - a key issue of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. As a part of this project, Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines and Sanitary Napkin Incinerators have been installed in high schools to improve the accessibility for women everywhere. 

Changing The Mindset Towards Sanitary Napkins and Menstruation - For Schools

Teenage school girls undergo several changes during puberty with the transition from childhood to womanhood that does not come with ease. Instead of making life better for them, we are delving deep into the shame and stigma of menstruation, banishing girls several days during their period.

Stigmatised over period in India, 23% percent of girls drop out from regular schooling as they do not have access to pads.Schools must educate girls about reproductive organs and menstruation. India’s current sustainable development goal is to raise menstrual awareness in the underprivileged areas. Sanitary napkin vending machine is brings a sense of joy amongst school going girls. The machines dispense affordable and hygienic napkins. Our girls certainly deserve a better life for themselves. A life of comfort and care without sacrificing an ounce of education and an ounce of fun.

Sisters moving the menstrual hygiene cause forward

As a clean India campaign run by the Indian government, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has its focus on various aspects of cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation across the country. From garbage crisis and the associated sanitation woes to the infrastructure of Indian cities, the drive places great emphasis on women’s health and hygiene.

Inspired by the Padbank innovation in Jaipur, the young Mittal sisters have started the good work of collecting sanitary napkins from those who can afford and distributing those to the underprivileged, free of cost. Their heart goes out to the school going girls in the rural areas who cannot afford buying napkins and hence use cloth. Their team collected 2500 pads from 150 people in the last week of January this year for the SanitaryNapkin Vending Machine in India. Such exemplary individual efforts can surely lead to positive community actions in the years to come.

Menstrual Hygiene Campaign - Providing Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines To Rural India

The menstrual movement in the country is focused primarily on menstrual care and awareness which is our basic right. There are multiple menstrual hygiene campaigns running across states and rural areas which include installation of sanitary napkin vending machines and distribution of menstrual products.

Sanitary protection in India

The ‘Yes I bleed’, is one such campaign that has reached out to millions of women in India. Breaking myths related to periods, promoting awareness and hygiene in the rural areas is the primary aim of this campaign. Sanitary napkin vending machines offer a variety of sanitary protection brands leaving the choice of comfort to its consumers. Furthermore, accessibility to napkins and affordability has been taken into consideration to ensure it is available for all. Eco-friendly sanitary napkins and reliable incinerating technology top the charts.

Padman revolutionizes hygiene in rural India

ArunachalamMuruganatham, fondly called the Indian Padman is the inventor of a simple, cost effective machine that generates affordable pads. 23 out of 29 states in India have his mini sanitary napkin producing machines installed, which has benefited several school going girls and women in rural India. He confidently says he wants to bring about an attitudinal change in the mindset of people living in the country.

As a nation, it is time we witness a significant change in menstrual hygiene and better disposal practices. We need to encourage, equip and empower every woman towards a safe and healthy future. Glolifecare.com