Several organizations in Vadodara run Gruh Udyogs to make sanitary pads and retail them. Many of them also distribute them for free in slum areas to spread hygiene-related awareness. While organizations’ names have previously surfaced on news platforms, this time around, 14-year-old Jasmine Sharma, along with her friend, Krishna Patel, distributed sanitary pads free of cost in the slums of Vadodara.
On the Menstrual Hygiene Day, Jasmine Sharma, a resident of Vasana-Bhayali Road in Vadodara, spent the savings from her pocket money to distribute pads. As a monthly activity, her friend Krishna Patel also explains the importance of sanitary pads and raises awareness among adolescents, young girls, and women about menstrual hygiene at VUDA houses and the nearby slums.
Jasmine Sharma and Krishna Patel, through their regular visits to slums, have become well-known. Jasmin Sharma said that her mother had told her that menstruating teenagers, young women, and women have a hard time maintaining hygiene. Jasmine’s mother’s reality check prompted her to save money in order to help the underprivileged. She iterated that the distribution of pads was not enough, and hence, they also started educating people.
The two girls have been running this campaign for the last two years under Chiraiya Foundation. The foundation not only helps women with pads but also tries to provide employment opportunities to women in the manufacturing industry of sanitary pads. As one of its goals, the foundation aspires to reach out to people who are hesitant to buy sanitary pads from shops and medical stores.
