Research firm tests uncharted course

Plans are on to involve Kudumbashree

A project on menstrual awareness anchors itself on openness in discussions  

Are we, finally, done with the hushed tone in our discussions on menstrual hygiene? Is there a sign of change that could challenge the ignorance on and “taboos” around menstruation, shaped by our own socio-cultural influences? Jinoj K, vice-president of the Centre for Hygiene Research and Development (CHRD), doesn’t have all the answers but he tries to make his point by narrating an incident.

Jinoj, a Kochi-based consultant on absorbent hygiene products, found out that branded sanitary napkins he bought for testing were packed without even following the basic standards of hygiene. “I went back to the shop and told them they shouldn’t be selling those products. The owner of the shop, while acknowledging that there was an issue, said I was the first customer – in the 28 years since the shop opened – to raise a complaint of this nature,” says Jinoj.

He feels that a general reluctance to talk about menstruation has contributed to alarming levels of ignorance and the entry of sub-standard sanitary pads in the market. Through Project Ritu, an initiative anchored along with the Advanced Research Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the CHRD is trying to get more people to talk; openness could be the way forward in these times in which political and cultural spins threaten to derail the debate.

Project Ritu campaigners have been involved in awareness programmes conducted in different parts of Kerala. As part of the campaign, the team is addressing the issue of lack of privacy which leaves many working women and students unable to avail facilities like sanitary pad vending machines. In Kerala, hundreds of schools and colleges have been installing these vending machines but Jinoj feels that not much thought has gone into their effectiveness.

“We noticed that in some of the schools, the machines are kept in the staff rooms. Students refuse to change the pads – even after the prescribed usage limit of three hours – because they still don’t want to be seen getting the pads. These are issues we are dealing with, both through awareness campaigns to effect a change in attitude and through vending machines installed in bathrooms,” says Jinoj.

   The project covers serious implications of poor menstrual hygiene. Screening for Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) done by the team has revealed 10 % prevalence. Project Ritu also addresses PCOS and its effects on infertility, cardiac disorders and anxiety disorders and menstrual ailments, including Fallopian tube infection, and their psycho-social consequences.

     A concept note from the CHRD team quotes a World Health Organisation statistics – 83% of women experience some form of infection during menstruation; 62 % of them affected due to “inappropriate usage” of sanitary napkins.

     The project team conducted sessions in schools in Kochi on May 28 as part of the Menstrual Hygiene Day programmes, covering topics ranging from usage of napkins and eco-friendly disposal to awareness on lifestyle changes. “When it comes to awareness on the prescribed standards and stipulations, we have a long way to go. Perfumed napkins are being avoided in many countries but they continue to be used widely in India,” says Jinoj.

In 2008, “curiosity” triggered by a report about low usage of sanitary napkins led Jinoj to take up extensive research on the subject. Visits to countries, including China, expanded the scope of his work, resulting in a design which, he says, ensures production of top-quality sanitary pads with all prescribed standards met in critical features, including air permeability.

The companies Jinoj works with as a consultant supply the napkins for top brands on an original equipment manufacturer agreement. With Project Ritu, the team tries to ensure that well-packaged napkins at an affordable price reach the consumers. More than 100 vending machines have been installed, free of charge, in schools in Ernakulam district and the programme is picking up the pace in other districts as well.

Companies under their corporate social responsibility initiatives have associated with the CHRD in the project. Community organisations like Sakhya, which focuses on issues of women and children, are also involved in the project which provides sanitary napkin incinerators and counselling to handle psychological issues related to menstruation and PCOS.

The project has run into a new glitch – some of the students are using money given by parents to get pads from the vending machines to buy cosmetic products or pastries. “We are trying to address the issue by designing pre-paid cards which could be used to purchase the napkins. Through these cards, the CHRD will be able to track the number of products dispensed; it will help us study the effectiveness and reach of the project. We are also looking at possibilities of giving out some of these cards free of charge, to students from poor families,” says Jinoj.

The  CHRD team is also developing a comprehensive menstrual kit which will include, along with pads, anti-infection products and pain relief patches.

The CHRD is lining up plans for collaboration with Kudumbashree, the government-backed woman empowerment project, to manufacture napkins on a larger scale. “We are looking at a public private partnership model with a majority stake for Kudumbashree members. With a projected target of 600 napkins per minute, this initiative could be a major step forward,” says Jinoj.

In its full potential, the project envisages a scenario where myths around menstruation are dispelled and “even a semi-literate girl in a remote village anywhere in India” could follow the right steps of menstrual hygiene.