Help us Provide Sanitary Pad Vending Machine and Livelihood | Milaap
This is a supporting campaign. Contributions made to this campaign will go towards the main campaign.
Help us Provide Sanitary Pad Vending Machine and Livelihood to Girls
  • Mohit

    Created by

    Mohit Modi
  • UG

    This fundraiser will benefit

    UNDERPREVILIDGED GIRLS

    from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

Tax benefits for INR donations will be issued by Isci Foundation

We have two major objectives of the project:
  • To educate and create awareness of the use of Sanitary Napkins and provide easy access to Sanitary Napkins by installing Simple Vending Machines with replenishment programs in Rural Schools and Colleges so that Girls/Women get habituated to using these Sanitary Napkins for their better health care.
  • Secondly, to provide livelihood opportunities to destitute women by hiring them as Vending Machine caretakers. They will replenish the vending machines with low-cost lab-tested sanitary pads and in turn, will earn on every pad sold through the vending machine.
Why Sanitary Pad Vending Machine is needed:
As per a study in India, only 12% of women use Sanitary Napkins and the percentage is much lower in Rural Areas. It is observed that 20 percent of girls did not use the toilet in school during menstruation for fear of staining it, and more than two out of five girls had no idea about menstruation when they started with their periods. Of those who had some idea, only 16 percent received any information in school.
There is a potential loss on the economic and social front in India as a result of girls dropping out of school due to menstrual health issues and thus getting into early marriages and early pregnancies. More girls in schools mean universal primary education and increased gender parity while contributing to the eradication of poverty. Educated mothers also contribute to improved maternal health and reduction in child mortality. Hence, educating and creating awareness for use of Sanitary Napkins and as well provide easy access to Sanitary Napkins using Vending machines are of prime need.

Why Vending Machine Caretaker is needed:
Along with Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine, we also need to take care of the machines and fill them with sanitary pads to ensure the sustainability of the project. For this, we will connect a destitute woman in the community to a vending machine. She will be trained in the use of the machine and will be responsible for the machine attached to it. She will fill the machine with pads and in turn earn the margin earned from the sale of each sanitary pad. This will give livelihood opportunities to women.

What is Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine: 
Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine is a Self-Service Vending Machine used for dispensing Sanitary Napkins against the acceptance of Coins. The proposed Vending Machine has a loading capacity of 30 napkins with a display for showing Napkin Stock availability. Its Mechanical coin acceptor, single value coin acceptor of Rs 5 Coin, and no need for electricity.

Where to install:
Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines are very easy to install. It can be wall-mounted and it is proposed to install at Schools and Colleges.

Who will benefit:
Every single unit of Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine will directly benefit between 10 to 300 users per day based on the type and capacity, not to count the benefits to the environment and society. More Girls in Schools with Less Drop-outs. This will aware and educate girls not only on menstruation but also on sanitation and hygiene.
The caretaker woman will get livelihood opportunities by getting income arising out of the sale of napkins.

Sustainability:
For ensuring the sustainability of the project:

  • We propose to provide free Napkins for the period of 2 months so that we can educate and create awareness for the use of Sanitary Napkins for better health care and get them in habit of using Sanitary Napkins.
  • Appointing a caretaker to take care of the machine and also to replenish them on time.
  • After 2 months, we propose to give another set of Napkins which shall be free to the caretaker, but it shall be charged at Rs 5/- Coin for the user. So, that caretaker gets money for replenishment for future napkins in rotation. This option is considered keeping in mind that caretakers don’t have to invest in Napkins and the project helps them create money for rotation and ensure the sustainability of the project.
Direct Beneficiaries: 
  • Over 600 girls from these schools/colleges.
  • 2 destitute women as caretakers of the machine.
 
Indirect Beneficiaries:
More Girls in School, Reduce Dropouts, more girls in schools means universal primary education and increased gender parity, Community around the institutions.

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