From nightmare to freedom: Push of a button changes lives, menstrual hygiene in Jharkhand

The push of a button meant a different kind of freedom for Savitri Tigga, 11, of Hulhundu on the outskirts of Ranchi, barely 20 km from the tribal state's capital.

As Savitri (name changed) inserted a rupee coin and pressed the button of the newly-installed vending machine in her village, her face lit up as it dispensed a sanitary napkin.

Despite the proximity to the mining boom town of Ranchi, Savitri, till now, had little or no knowledge of how to cope with a menstrual cycle, turning her already burdened childhood into a nightmare, as she bled in the solitary confines of her hut, bewildered by the changes which were happening to her body.

Sangini, an initiative by the Old Boys' Association of the famed Netarhat Vidyalaya, has set up vending machines to dispense sanitary pads, in 50 desperately poor villages in Jharkhand and neighbouring Bihar to help girls have a healthier life with uninterrupted schooling.

"I can now afford to buy these napkins... I can study now... I can buy my pencils and erasers as well. I will not leave my studies," Savitri told this reporter, holding her napkin shyly in her hand on Saturday, the Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Lack of understanding of menstrual hygiene and lack of access to simple necessities such as a sanitary pad in their villages is one of the main reasons for girls to drop out of schools in Jharkhand, where some 42.16 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.

Seema Toppo, 12, Neeta Tigga, 15, Sani Horo, 12, Neelmani Kongari, 14, and Anju Oraon, 14, (names changed) all narrated similar horror stories of how their mothers and they used sand, ash, rags and plastic to deal with menstruation, often contracting infection.

Most of the girls said they used to prefer living in the confines of their huts during the menstrual cycle period out of embarrassment, losing out on school and normal life in the process. Most did not know of sanitary napkins, and those who did could not afford a trip to a town chemist or the price of a napkin.

The brainchild behind the Sangini initiative, NOBA GSR (Netarhat Old Boys' Association Global Social Responsibility) advisory member Om Prakash Choudhary told PTI: "Late last year a college-going girl who still studies at BHU in Varanasi had come to NOBA GSR and requested for a donation so that she could distribute sanitary napkins in slum areas.

"She did it for three months and we supported her. Later we realised that actually, this model is neither scalable nor sustainable."

However, Choudhary said that as he "read about the girls that drop out of school at a young age (because of lack of access to sanitary napkins), it just broke my heart".

As per available data, only 36 percent of 35.5 crore menstruating women in India use sanitary napkins for their personal hygiene needs, and 70 per cent of families cannot afford the sanitary napkins.

An initiative to overcome this with sanitary napkin dispensers and incinerators which would take care of the used napkins was planned with donations from NOBA members, corporate houses and individuals. An initial amount of Rs 31 lakh has been collected so far.

"This Rs 31 lakhs will be enough to sustain 50 villages for five years... Our target is to set up vending machines and incinerators in 200 villages by the end of the year," Choudhary said.

"Out of 140 crores of our population, 43 crores women live in rural areas. Excluding 73 per cent of ladies who are aware of safe menstrual hygiene, 4.6 crore rural ladies can directly benefit from our Sangini initiative," he said.

He calculated that once this initiative sets up vending machines in 200 villages, approximately more than 20,000 women "will have some relief in more than 12 lakhs days per year by availing almost 20 lakhs pads. Dreams just don't come true, they are true".

He said a structure with delivery centres, local hubs and village officers would be the key to ensuring awareness of safe menstrual hygiene and continuous supply of sanitary pads at an affordable Re 1 to rural women.

"In each dispenser, we have got a sim card. the moment stocks are low, it automatically sends an SMS to a village prabhari, a NOBA prabhari as well as the delivery centre so that it is refilled," he said, adding that village chiefs have welcomed the system and have helped ensure security.

Dr Rashmi, the Director of Snehkul Public High School, Tupudana, Ranchi (a school for the underprivileged) and Santosh College of Teachers Training and Education where two of the vending machines and incinerators have been installed, said, "The initiative is an instant hit among poor girls and even has resulted in a kind of awareness among girls who have not reached puberty as they are curious to know the details."

In the future, NOBA plans to take the initiative to other vulnerable states such as Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh soon.