Growing up, I always had the privilege to having complete access to feminine hygiene products. It was only in recent years that I learned most Indian girls and women do not have access to basic menstrual products due to various reasons like poverty, unawareness, etc.

India, a country with a population of over 355 million menstruating women, consists of about 71 percent of young women being uneducated and unaware about menstruation until menarche. Since 2016, only 36 percent on Indian women have access to sanitary products and over 70 percent of Indian women still consider menstruation as dirty.

Poverty and stigma have always been a large issue in our country for various subjects, mainly due to overpopulation and lack of education and awareness.

 
Several Indian districts, as of 2020, lack basic
functional toilets- this helps us in understanding the gravity of the problem.

Due to my mothers profession, I have had the opportunity to travel to many rural parts of the country as a young girl. A few years ago, on one of our travels, one evening, I realised that I was in need of sanitary pads, and it was with great difficulty that my mother and I got our hands on a packet of pads after driving 45 minutes out of the village.

In recent years, the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ movement has overtaken the nation. Lack of girl child education is a prominent issue in the country, which is boosted to due the mentality around menstruation, with over 23 million girls dropping out of school each year in classes six and seven when they start menstruating.

Lack of education makes Indian girls believe that menstruating is impure, after being denied entry into temples as well as kitchens and in extreme cases, denied entry inside of their home while they’re on their cycle.

For several years, Indian women have been using old cloth, rags, hay, sand or ash as alternatives to pads. these unhygienic period health and disposal practices can have major consequences on the health of women including contracting cervical cancer, hepatitis b infection, various types of yeast infections and urinary tract Infection

What we intend to do:
Project flow in partnership with the Sanshil Foundation has the following four fold approach:
1- To conduct awareness workshops to educate girls and women about menstrual hygiene.
2- To provide employment to the women of villages in Haryana who make our pads and sell it to us.
3- To distribute reusable pads to young girls and women as a safe and pocket friendly option.
4- To reduce menstrual waste as reusable pads last for over 2 years as against disposable pads which are for one time use only.

As disposable pads are costly, village women have to use old cloth or hay, ash or sand wrapped around in a rag. These unhealthy  ways may cause Cervical Cancer, Reproductive Tract Infection, Hepatitis B infection to name a few. Apart from the physical problems these women and girls may suffer greatly from low self esteem and confidence and they may miss out on their education. 

Reusable pads are  a healthy and hygienic solution to this problem. They  last upto 2 years and are comfortable, leak proof and skin friendly.
They also have huge positive impact on the environment. As per Times of India, a single woman can generate upto 125 kilograms of non-biodegradable waste during her menstrual years which takes upto 500-800 years to decompose.

How can you help?
We need your help in making sure that the young girls and women who are missing out on crucial growth opportunities are given wings to fly. Your donations would help us to buy, arrange and distribute Project Flow sanitary kits. These consist of 3 reusable pads made from 100% organic cotton along with instructions in the vernacular language. The cost of production for each kit is Rs. 180. Your contribution can begin with as little as one kit.

We look forward to your support!

By doing your bit, help us in doing ours!

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Instagram: _projectflow

Thank you!