With the total cost of Rs.5.11 lakh, the first ever sanitary napkin manufacturing machine, sourced from A. Muruganantham of Jayashree Industries, Coimbatore, began its full-fledged operations in the city at Sampoorna Rehabilitation Centre for Physically-Challenged.
Initiated by Rotary Club Visakhapatnam Central (RCVC) in September last under its women empowerment project, the campaign, christened as ‘Sampoorna Swachta’, is meant to reach out to girls and women belonging to weaker sections of society.
As part of their first move, members of RCVC visited Government Residential School for Visually-Challenged Girls at Sagar Nagar recently and educated the girls on maintaining menstrual hygiene through a digital presentation. “In addition, we have distributed 50 packs of biodegradable napkins to them. This is just the beginning of our long journey. Our next move is to approach 17 government schools across the district, create awareness on the hygiene and distribute packs of sanitary pads to as many girls as possible,” says president of RCVC Sonia Gupta.
With a combination of 60 and 40 per cent variation in wood pulp, the manufacturing process goes through pulverisation and sterilisation before hitting the shelves as a final product. “A total of six women of our rehabilitation centre have been technically trained by Jayashree Industries for the purpose. On an average, four women can produce up to 150 pieces per day. However, based on the requirement more trainees will chip in,” says Ch. Satya, founder-president of Sampoorna.
In future, the plastic-free product would find a place in Jeevandhara pharmacy outlets. “In order to execute the campaign effectively, we are looking forward to more sponsors to contribute to the cause. Soon we will rope in corporates for the purpose,” explains Ms. Sonia.
A pack of eight eco-friendly sanitary napkins is priced at Rs.20 and comes with disposable papers packed neatly in a paper bag. Apart from the normal ones, the rehabilitation centre also manufactures low-cost maternity sanitary pads as well.
In future, the
plastic-free product will find a place in Jeevandhara pharmacy outlets
Sonia Gupta,
President of Rotary Club Visakhapatnam Central
‘Aim is to reach out to girls and women belonging to weaker sections of society’
