“Why carry pads in a black polybag?
Why not in a transparent one?
Why hide it and make it a monster?
Why not discuss it and make it normal?”
In a laudable attempt to promote women hygiene and gender sensitization, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, a more country college of the University of Delhi, installed a sanitary napkin dispenser and became the first rural college to do so. One has to put in a INR 5 coin and right then,right there,you have a sanitary pad.The machine has around 200 pads in stock and has costed INR 25,000
Principal of the college, Mamta Sharma commented, ” There was a need to set up this machine, since our college is a rural college and the girls here are not much advanced. Also, there has always been a taboo related to such issues. We want people to do away with that taboo and start having a healthy conversation about this simply natural body process.”
Aditi Mahavidyalaya is an off campus all-girls college, located at Delhi Auchandi Road, Bawana. Most students here come from rural Delhi and nearby villages of Haryana. The kiosk has come up as a savior for many of the girls who travel from far away. The machine saves the never ending search for napkins from classmates, and of going out in this uncomfortable time to buy some. Also, it’s known to very less that lack of sanitary hygiene may lead to cervical cancer, also irritation and rashes.
Nitika Negi, a B. El. Ed. student said, “our college is encompassed with rural area and girls coming from such environment have a little shy personality. This machine is an amazing facility as now we don’t have to ask anyone for an extra sanitary napkin instead we can go and take it from this pad vending machine at a very affordable price. It feels like being a girl is not difficult anymore.”
This Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine, sponsored by ONGC, has been installed in collaboration with CSR Research Foundation with efforts of NSS team of the college, headed by Dr Ritu Sharma, Archana Sawshilya, Roshani Beri, Gaurav Sikka and Anita Beniwal. A complete workshop was organized on this occasion especially for those who come from the nearby slums, where a documentary on sanitary awareness and the availability and affordability of sanitary napkins was screened.
This initiative is really appreciable. Hope no girl out there has to be kept void of basic sanitary healthcare.
