‘Thinkal- Awareness Creation and Distribution of M-cup’
As you are aware, in Indian society menstruation and menstrual practices still faces many social, cultural and religious restrictions which are a huge barrier in the pathway of menstrual hygiene management. This includes taboos, such as avoiding bathing, lack of privacy, low prevalence of adequate perineal care and lack of affordability and accessibility to appropriate menstrual hygiene products. Lapses in menstrual hygiene management can cause grievous harm. If ignored, it may even lead to toxic shock syndrome, reproductive tract infections (RTI), and other vaginal diseases. Proper disposal of used sanitary napkins is also a major issue. HMA’s pioneering project “Thinkal – Awareness creation and distribution of menstrual cups” is a project that is intended to create awareness, provide and encourage the use of menstrual cups by women for menstrual hygiene management. It has gained extensive acceptance at the beginning of the project itself. The model that we follow is not only the distribution of M-cups but also creating awareness and thus encourages the use of menstrual cups by women. The project is improving the menstrual health and hygiene of women of menstruating age in an eco-friendly manner. The division has been taking up several projects for awareness creation and distribution of M-Cups with the support of LSGB, NGOs, SHGs, organizations etc. M-Cup is a simple re-usable menstrual hygiene product. It is usually made of medical grade silicone, shaped like a bell and is flexible. It is worn inside the vagina during menstruation to catch menstrual blood. Despite their long history, menstrual cups are barely known in India, compared to the widespread acceptance and use of disposable sanitary napkins, especially in the developing countries. Made of medical-grade silicone, menstrual cups are reusable and can be reused for a minimum of five years. Menstrual cups are introduced on a massive level in the country as a Social development programme, by HMA. The Idea of introducing M-Cups came from relief camps in Alappuzha municipality during the 2018 floods in Kerala state, India. Water logged areas, restricted access to safe menstrual hygiene products and the sanitary pads supplied by various agencies had clogged community toilets in relief camps leading to debilitating effects on health and environment. Therefore HLL Management Academy (HMA) had created awareness and distributed M-Cups in Alappuzha municipality. This project was implemented with the CSR support of Coal India Ltd, with the cooperation of LSGDs, local NGOs, health workers, medical practitioners and with the technical support of the Corporate R&D team of HLL. It was found that, in Alappuzha municipality, more than 90% of users decided to continue using M-Cups. This is a clear indication that M-Cups deserve to be promoted widely. Thus, the second phase of the project was implemented in Kochi Municipal Corporation with the CSR fund from Air India Express which was also a great success. Following the pace, in the FY 2021-22 with the CSR support of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and HLL Lifecare Ltd, HMA was able to reach out to 22,500 women in Cochin and 14000 women in Thiruvananthapuram districts respectively. In addition to that, HMA has been taking up several projects for awareness creation and distribution of M-Cups in various municipalities / corporations of Kerala. Now, we are moving on to other states of India like Jharkhand, which is one of the relatively economically and socially backward states of India. However, despite its acceptability among those who are introduced to it, it has not yet gained proper acceptability among the larger public due to lack of knowledge & awareness of the product, non-availability in retail shops and high retail cost. Therefore, a conscious attempt is required to create knowledge and awareness of Menstrual Cups among the public and the product should also be made available to them. Encouraging the use of M-Cups among menstruating women in India shall be a novel initiative with long term impact. Through this project HMA proposes to create awareness and distribute M-Cups among women in modules of 5000 beneficiaries. Through the novel initiative, we may be able to encourage women to consider menstrual days, as normal as any other days. The impact of M-Cup use are multifold, covering improved menstrual health and hygiene, privacy & convenience of use, savings in cost of sanitary napkins and reduction in sanitary napkin waste. It is to be noted that 1,00,000 of M-Cups having a life span of minimum five years can result in savings of Rs.290 lakh in sanitary napkin cost and reduction in sanitary waste for disposal by 2000 tonnes.
