Women Indeed a Nation (WIN)-Be Healthy… Be a Winner...

Article 25 of the International Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a standard of living necessary for the health and well-being of himself/herself and his/her family; including food, clothing, and housing and medical care and necessary social services. Mothers and children are entitled to special care and assistance. In India, nearly 80% to 90% of rural women use old cloth instead of sanitary napkins, leading to vaginal infections and diseases.

Low-cost feminine hygiene is a priority as menstruation continues to be shrouded in misconceptions and perceived as a matter of extreme embarrassment. In Tamil Nadu, as in other parts of India. The socio-cultural norms in society discourage discussion about puberty and menstruation within and outside the family, thus leading to poor and unhygienic practices. Girls have little opportunity to take care of their health and other requirements. On account of the traditional patriarchy followed since time immemorial, often their contribution is not accounted and valued.

The problems arise in proportion to the affordability to the choices of means adopted for menstrual hygiene management where the sanitary napkin is preferred by and large by the women and girls but due to low income and poverty, they many times fail to afford it. This further inculcates a sense of inferiority and declines their confidence in mobility attending schools, doing even daily household chores and participation.

In urban India, the trend has changed in recent years, but in rural India, these topics remained significantly taboo among all, irrespective of social and economic status. Poor accessibility and Social barrier is the root cause behind this. Sanitary Napkins are only available in the medical stores or departmental stores generally situated in the largest villages or local markets. Without transportation, it is very difficult to reach the marketplace. On top of that, social issues prevent women and girls from obtaining sanitary napkins at local pharmacies due to social embarrassment about the topic.

Thus, this project not only would be responsive to meet the need of low-cost sanitary napkin demands but would also set up and run a business model that would further support in engaging some of the girls and women for their employability and earning income and empowering them. We will make sure of the production, promotion and usage of the low-cost sanitary napkins by the target beneficiaries.

-Controlling the growth of infectious diseases among urban slum and rural women and girls by establishing the provision of hygienic cost-effective sanitary napkins

-Involve women in this project so that they can become a breadwinner for their families.

Our Vision:

-To free girls and women from the disruptions that menstruation brings to their lives through diverse solutions

-To bring forth slum women and girls as winners

Our Goal: To empower vulnerable girls and women by enabling them to have access to cost-effective pads and building capacity on menstrual hygiene management and reproductive health for improved performance and self-esteem.

Our mission: An innovative solution for menstrual hygiene through the production of high quality cost-effective sanitary pad that is comfortable, environment, and cost-friendly.

Our Values:

Motivation to succeed in improving the lives of girls and women in Chennai

Maintaining an open mind regarding the variety of methods of achieving this success

Socially neutral and does not discriminate.

Community building

We are Quality and result-oriented trainers

We are a Dedicated, Competent and Effective Team

We observe Excellence

Economic Empowerment of the Community

Resource Stewardship

We embrace practices that are Eco-friendly to the environment

Our Methodology and Criteria:

We shall organize workshops/seminars where we will present the WIN pads through training to raise awareness on personal hygiene and sanitation among teachers, parents, and the community. They will also be informed of the risks of using unhygienic materials and how diseases can be prevented. In these workshops, we will also present the plans of establishing small production centers. We hope to spread the message of future employment and economic benefits for women in the local community.

1. To popularize and sensitize the use of sanitary napkins among the urban slum and rural women and girls and thereby rescuing them from venereal diseases.

2. To establish and start preparation of cost-effective/low-cost sanitary napkins in a scientific way for better health and hygiene among urban slum and rural women and girls.

3. To engage some urban slum and rural unemployed women/young girls in production and marketing and also to fulfil the requirements to maximum parts of Institutions, colleges, schools, government offices and industries where ever women are engaged.

4. To provide quality based sanitary napkins to urban slum and rural women at a comparatively low price than the napkins prevalent in the present day markets.

Project benefits: The project will have an impact on the health status of girls

Social Impacts

• Reducing the estimated absence percentage- 50% of girls miss school due to their menses.

• Empowering women and girls to take control of their bodies and initiating broader dialogue to eliminate stigma and shame.

• Providing accessible childcare facilities to workers, encouraging mothers to join the enterprise.

Environmental Impacts

• Reducing the environmental impact of importing raw materials by sourcing locally available materials.

• Reducing the number of disposable pads entering the landfill, as kits last for up to three years by educating about the incinerator

• Lessening the amount of water needed to clean pads compared to semi competing products.

Economic Impacts

• Establishing a new value chain based on local raw materials and targeting a mostly untapped market with affordable products.

• Increasing overall productivity by empowering women through improved access to education and workforce, additional income and training on savings schemes.

Project Outcomes

The baseline survey will provide information to which the following 3 outcomes will accrue;

a) Improved school attendance in schools among primary girls

b) Improved personal hygiene and sanitation in poor slums and neighborhoods

c) An income generating activity for women