Women and girls from low-income backgrounds have been facing a massive menstrual hygiene crisis due to the pandemic. The only source of sanitary napkins for most school-going girls was from government schemes that supply them through govt. schools, which remain closed amidst the lockdown. Similarly, minimum wage daily labourers women /migrants workers and those from poor homes are unable to afford sanitary napkins as they suddenly have no or very less income. This leads to them using unhygienic methods like paper, rags, etc. This leads to Urinary Tract issues and other health problems.
'Bindu' is an initiative that was started by two students - Ananya Shah & Iliyan Hariyani with the objective of providing Menstrual Hygiene Kits to such women and girls in Hyderabad.
Each kit is unique as they will contain 4 reusable sanitary napkins (that will last 2 years & are very environmentally friendly and take up less space) & 2 cotton panties. This is being done in partnership with The Choice Foundation- an NGO in Hyderabad. The napkins are environment-friendly, easy to store, and most importantly cost-effective. The kits cost just INR 300 per girl/woman. Fund 3000 INR and impact 10 of them for example.
INR 3000 WILL IMPACT 10 GIRLS/WOMEN FOR TWO YEARS. EACH MENSTRUAL HYGIENE KIT COSTS JUST INR 300 INCLUDING DISTRIBUTION COSTS.
DISPOSABLE SANITARY NAPKINS VS REUSABLE NAPKINS
ABOUT ME
My name is Sehika Vanga. I am 13 years old and in Grade 8 at The Aga Khan Academy School.
COVID-19 has impacted millions of people. The worst-hit are the poor, migrants, and daily wage workers. Hyderabad & Telangana have not been spared and we are seeing its impact all around us. There has been a surge in cases & the situation will only get worse before it gets better. For girls and women from financially weak backgrounds, the issue is compounded by the inaccessibility of menstrual hygiene measures.
What we take for granted - sanitary pads and panties is a luxury for them. The solution is to give them a menstrual hygiene pack that is cost-effective and lasts long and is not too bulky.
The Hygiene pack being given has reusable sanitary pads. It creates no trash and is cost-effective. Disposable sanitary pads have to be bought repeatedly, cost INR 50-100 per month, and create massive disposal problems. The cost of this hygiene kit (including distributing it) is just INR 300. I request all of you to support my campaign so that we can also contribute to their well-being in our own small little way. Let's come together and do our bit.
COMPONENTS OF THE HYGIENE KIT
CASE STUDY
IN THE NEWS
ABOUT THE PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
BINDU
Bindu is a non-registered organization with the premise of educating the masses about menstruation, donating sanitary napkins to vulnerable communities and women in need, creating sustainable environments, and deconstructing stigma. We tackle menstrual inequality by our field activities, which include supplying women from low income and vulnerable communities with reusable and durable sanitary napkins. We make masses aware of their menstrual rights by propagating the truth and embracing menstruation on our social media platforms.
CHOICE FOUNDATION
CHOICE Foundation is Hyderabad based and is a Not-for-Profit organization that strives to develop an ecosystem of doctors, donors, various NGOs supporting orphanages, facilitators, and other charitable institutions to provide intensive care and emergency treatment to sick children coming from socio-economically challenged families. The foundation mission to empower children with good health, irrespective of their socio-economic status has led to the initiation of some successful programs. To date, 360 children whose families could not afford care have been supported by the foundation, many of whom were critically ill and could not afford life support at private hospitals. We also like to partner with organizations that impact children and in this case young girls and women especially during this period of the pandemic.
MAP OF WHERE WE WILL BE IMPACTING GIRLS/WOMEN
PACKS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN AND AROUND HYDERABAD.
TAX BENEFITS
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as CHOICE FOUNDATION is a registered NGO & you can avail of benefits under section 80G of IT act. Foreign funding is accepted too.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to CHOICE FOUNDATION. We will update you on the details of the beneficiaries as soon as possible. Once we get this information we shall upload a report on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert & can read details about the beneficiaries.
When do I get the receipts?
The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept & is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations & ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding. When you fund a charity it’s more like a donation & you get small innovative rewards like a shout-out on an FB page or a thank you email from the beneficiaries.
