For many women in the country, access to basic health and sanitation is still a distant dream. Those in rural areas are especially affected as they do not have the means to purchase sanitary napkins, pads or menstrual cups and are often forced to use pieces of cloth and reuse them after they’ve been washed. This is obviously very unhygienic and can lead to infections, toxic shock syndrome, discomfort, and a series of social embarrassment.
Three law students from Kerala have set out to see that this changes.
Sara Fathima, Ayushi Dangre, and Pritishree Dash, fourth year students at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, started the Code Red project to provide proper menstrual care to women for whom it is otherwise inaccessible.
The idea for this initiative actually stemmed from another initiative by the trio named ‘Read a Book and Spread a Smile’ in which they made and sold bookmarks and donated the earnings to an orphanage. While there, they discovered that the young girls did not have basic provisions such as detergents or pads.
“We were moved hearing that, especially sanitary napkins, because we couldn’t imagine ourselves in a situation where we are restricted by our own biological cycle let alone these young girls at their most playful and vibrant phase of their life” says Fathima.
After posting about their initiative on social media, Code Red received an overwhelming response from the public, with many people donating money as well as buying packets of pads for the cause. The students plan to expand their project to other cities.
To find out more or to donate/volunteer, please check the Code Red Facebook page.
Written by Nayna Rebekah George
Featured image source: Dreadful Girl on Etsy
