Saat Ka Dus: Sanitary Pad Banks Bring Affordable & Hygienic Menstrual Care to Women

Many women and girls across India continue to adopt unsafe and unhygienic menstrual practices. This NGO is trying to tackle that with making pads more accessible.

By Lucy Plummer

June 9, 2017

An NGO dedicated to tackling women’s issues is making sanitary pads more accessible with a sanitary pad bank.

The Sanitary Pad Bank, an initiative of TEE Foundation, is being implemented in tribal and low-income schools in a bid to increase access to safe and hygienic sanitary products for girls.

The banks will supply a pack of 10 pads for as little as ₹7.

Members of TEE Foundation at the launch of the sanitary banks. Photo Source: Facebook

Speaking of the initiative to DNA India, Lavekar, President of TEE Foundation, said, “For a year, the initiative was being processed. Cervical cancer is caused due to the usage of materials which are unhygienic and potentially very harmful such as cloth and tree leaves, because of which we need such initiatives to provide sanitary pads to girls and women whenever and wherever they need them.”

The initiative will rely mainly on donors, for both funds and pads, and aims to become a bridge between donors, volunteers and those in need. Not only does it hope to ensure sanitary pads reach those who need them, it also hopes to encourage people to take action and kick-start a self-sustaining movement to increase accessibility of sanitary products in India.

Menstruation is a natural human process and therefore access to safe and hygienic menstrual products ought to be a basic human right. Sadly, in India this is not the case as sanitary pads continue to be considered a luxury item and are taxed as much as 14% under the Goods and Services Tax system.

Although providing more women with sanitary pads is not the most sustainable solution to India’s sanitary issue, it is a progressive step towards ensuring that more women and girls do not have to seek alternative, often harmful sanitary care.

Those wishing to support the cause can do so in two ways: by donating pads at New MHADA Colony, near Lokhandwala Circle, Andheri West, or by donating money via the initiative’s official website here.

You can find out more about the TEE Foundation initiative, here.

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