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.

Surat’s Sanita-ry Claus - 62-Year-Old Made Menstrual Hygiene Her Priority

Feminine hygiene management in India is one of the most neglected aspects of all times. The challenges that women face during the toughest phase in the month is often overlooked by us and the society that we have formed around us. Taboos around menstruation, fears and superstitious beliefs contribute to the lack of menstrual hygiene awareness.

                                          

The first of its kind, padbank is a remarkable innovation, catering to the underprivileged women. Unavailability and lack of affordability of napkins amongst women in rural areas has raised questions in the minds of several community workers. In an attempt to create awareness and fight social taboos, Dr Bharati Lavekar is actively working towards bringing about a change in the life of rural women.  The organisation aims to educate people on the importance of menstrual hygieneby providing napkins to several areas where women are in dire need. In addition, they have installed sanitary napkin vending machines in India in several public toilets. Glolifecare.com

Rail-the-way to Better Facilities

Napkin vending machines have helped spark a healthcare revolution in railway stations. Women commuters who travel by trains will now be able to travel comfortably. If you haven’t planned ahead for your period, it does get stressful. With a bit of forethought you can stock up on napkins for the travel but who knows when the flow strikes. Caught in such a predicament, it brings a sigh of relief to find napkin vending machines installed in the washrooms of railway stations.

From shyness to strength

Women are often embarrassed to ask for a napkin and sometimes feel inhibited to buy one. If all railway stations and other public places have access to such machines, what a difference it will make in a woman’s world.

Rising women – upliftment of Indian railways

The government’s initiative of setting up the first sanitary napkin vending machine in India, was at the Bhopal railway station. The machine has a capacity to store 75 sanitary pads. Two pads can be dispensed for Rs 5. As it is easy on the pocket, the response was positive. NGO’s in the neighbouring areas are encouraged to supply pads by filling in the gap created by the government. The government understands that providing affordable, quality sanitary napkins can promote menstrual hygiene and make ‘the few tough days’ easier for our women to deal with. Sanitary napkin incinerators to dispose off soiled napkins will also be installed in the next few months. Plans to install the vending machines and incinerators in the railway stations nationwide are underway. Glolifecare.com

Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines in Schools across Kerala

Periods can be quite a surprise to young school going girls. The anxiety of where to find a napkin, accompanied with a roller-coaster ride of emotions can interfere with studies and can also keep them off school for an extended period of time.

The sanitary napkin vending machines is certainly an answer to their woes and has been made mandatory in all government Schools in Kerala. The machines will soon be installed in all Schoolsacross the country. The majority of users are students, so the napkins are priced at Rs 2 making it easy on the pocket.

The aim is to lift the taboo surrounding menstruation and the unhygienic menstrual practices with the hope of more girls joining Schools, especially from the rural sectors. As a nation, we need to actively work towards the upliftment of rural India Glolifecare.com

Women's Day brings Navi Freedom From Menstrual Worry

Over the last couple of years, ‘Go green and make India clean’ is the work that has commissioned at a few prominent cities and rural areas. The government has undertaken severalinitiatives with the aim of infusing new life into the hygiene elements in the country. Sanitary napkin vending machine in India is one such remarkable innovation.

A charitable trust called the Navi Mumbai First, has strengthened the motto of the Swachh Bharat initiative of uplifting rural areas. Napkin vending machines have been installed in Panvel and Navi Mumbai. The Panvel bus depot is equipped with the machine which allows you to dispense napkins at an affordable cost. Free medical health checkup for women which strives towards their wellbeing is yet another health initiative taken by them.Navi Mumbai First Charitable Trust believes, it is time to transform the lives of women. Glolifecare.com

Take Off Without A Care - Airports install Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines

Sanitary napkin vending machines – A huge benefit for women travellers

Do you feel nervous about travelling during your 'period'? What about travelling without a napkin and you realise you need one. Travel accessories, especially mini toiletries have to be meticulously packed while planning for a trip. Moreover, women have to keep in mind their napkin emergency kit, but very often that gets left behind adding to their woes.

Napkin dispensers for a good travel experience

The Airport Authority of India has decided to make their women travellers happy. Indeed, you can now travel in style and comfort with the user friendly sanitary napkin dispensersinstalled in the washrooms of airports. Several airports now have the facility in place, highlighting comfort and convenience. Airports all across the country are committed towards feminine health and hygiene aspects and will have more napkin dispensers installed in the months to come for the women on the go. They believe, the amenities provided in the washrooms must be of high quality and it is time we celebrate womanhood with dignity. Glolifecare.com

The Truth about Sanitary Napkin Awareness in Rural India

Mahatma Gandhi made a famous statement, ‘the future of India lies in its villages’ but the healthcare facilities in rural India is deplorable even after several decades of trying to shape the country’s infrastructure.

 Rural healthcare challenges in India

78% of our population lives in the rural areas. Neglect and lack of awareness in these regions is the leading cause of low quality health and hygiene. Limited access to facilities contributes further to the existing concern.  We need to achieve sustainable solutions in aspects of hygiene, sanitation and health in the rural areas. The quality of life for the women in particular is way below normal. While there are women in such pockets who are unaware of sanitation and hygiene, we can also witness rural households without toilets. In many villages, there are common public toilets for all.

A solution to these instances of lack of hygiene and even accessibility to the the right menstrual products would help the situation greatly. Glolife Care has actively implemented many schemes to install Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines and Incinerators across the country, in rural and urban set-ups to start the conversation about Sanitary Napkins and there-by menstruation and make it more normal.

Menstruation in rural India – A stigma

Menstruation is perceived as a stigma in many parts of the country. Shame, fear and anxiety are the feelings associated with ‘periods’. A period is a natural, monthly occurrence that needs attention and care. We the people, have to breakdown the culture of taboo and negative attitudes which is growing over the years. Glolifecare.com

Manufacturers of the solution to sanitary waste

It is important to create a safe and hygienic environment around us. However, landfills contribute to maximum waste both in the urban and the rural areas. Safe and hygienic disposal of waste can prevent airborne and food borne diseases and undoubtedly, soiled sanitary napkins is a serious garbage problem.

 

Incineration – A proven method

Our waste management system has taken a hit in the past decade. Unsegregated waste reaches dumping grounds and poses a threat to health and environment. Segregating waste at the source is important but how do we do this? Several government initiatives have been taken to ensure waste is either recycled or used as compost but the ones which do not belong to these categories have to be burnt.  While is a small percentage of biodegradable and reusable pads are available in the market, most napkin manufacturers use plastic liners in their napkins. Thus, incineration is believed to be the most successful method to get rid of them. 

What do incinerator manufacturers say

Sanitary napkin machine manufacturers in India, talk about creating awareness on hygiene and health as the most vital factor towards a green, clean country.  Many say, technology can give optimal results if people in all segments understand the importance of waste management and disposal. Dumping sanitary wastes in open grounds can only lead to pollution of rivers and toxicity of land.

Glolife sanitary napkin vending machine keep research and development in the forefront with quality machines that are manufactured and installed in various parts of the country.

Facts about Sanitary Waste and how to destroy it

The cost of air, water and land pollution in dumping grounds is much higher than we think. Pollution due to non-biodegradable substances like the plastic in sanitarynapkin has caused devastating damage in the developing world. The toxic plastic from napkins leaches into the air causing harm to health and environment. We often talk about banning plastic, but imagine‘PERIOD’ without disposable sanitary napkins.

 How well do you know your sanitary napkins?

 The cellulose gel present in the napkins can cause severe health issues. A chemical called dioxin is used as a bleach to whiten the napkins. Odour neutralisers on the pads can cause skin irritation, yeast infection and a host of health problems. Furthermore, waste pickers have to clean and segregate waste depending on whether it can be recycled or not.Breathing disorders, gastrointestinal issues and chronic cough are a few of their common concerns.  A waste picker, who toils hard, quotes, ‘we work in this dirt and put our health at risk. We are definitely undervalued for our contribution.

Incineration – Long term sustainable solution

With the Swach Bharat Mission and other initiatives to keep the country clean, we have come a long way. Be it burning commercial or home waste, the incinerating technology is by far the best to manage sanitary wastes. In high temperatures, the napkin destroyers convert waste into ash and in seconds, you can get rid of a tonne of solid waste.