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Menstrual Hygiene Program by NGO Isci Foundation in Gwalior

SANITARY NAPKIN VENDING MACHINE
- Awareness, Affordable, Available

Sanitary napkin vending machine: Making periods easy to manage & affordable to underprivileged girls

THE PROBLEM

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.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

We have two major objectives of the project:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

LIVELIHOOD CONCEPT

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.

BENEFICIARIES

Every single unit of Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine will directly benefit between 10 to 400 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.

OUR IMPACT

Girls getting Sanitary Napkins from NGO, ISCI Foundation

The low drop-out rate of girls from schools.

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