Welfare Organization for Multipurpose mass Awareness Network

Gender biase even in health and sanitation

Women are very much discriminated not only against health but against sanitation and hygiene,in our society. The personal cleanliness, using toilets,handwashing were taught by many organisation but using of napkins was not taught until 2007. The women felt shy talking about the menstrual hygiene and the related problems.Even the society while ready to talk about family planning and HIV related problems, it neglected the menstrual related problems.

Sanitation is a human right and a key component of primary prevention to ensure better health

Menstrual Hygiene Survey

We started the Menstrual Hygiene campaign in the year 1992 in 17 villages.
we have made survey with women in all these villages.
Whether they use clothes/pads during menstruation.
How they dispose the used clothes/pads.
How much they pay for purchasing the clothes.

Results of the survey

Most of the women used dirty/old clothes.They reused the clothes for several times for several months. They are not aware of the usage of sanitary napkins:even if they are aware, they are not willing to spend the money for the pads/clothes.

Even in urban areas, the sitiuation was same or still worse that the women threw the used clothes/padsin the streets, river, pools or toilets.

Sanitation gives dignity to women

Awareness programmes

Our believesthat Sanitation and Hygiene gives dignity to women

We have taken the message not only to the women but to the men that:
"Menstruation is a natural physical process"
"A WOMAN need not be ashamed of herself"
"The physical discomforts of menstruation experienced by every women is a vital sign of good health and fertility"
"It indicates the body's ability to reproduce - an amazing phenomenon of nature since the beginning of time that is vital for existence of the human race" Menstruation is Vital for the Existence of the Human Race.

Awareness at School

Doctors Examine at Health Camp

Free Medicine at Health Camp

UNICEF and woman

UNICEF, Delhi, sent an representative in 2007, to visit our SHG,s napkin production units. A documentary film taken by woman on menstrual hygiene was shown to them. UNICEF, Delhi, invited our chairperson to give her opinion to improve sanitary napkin unit in Bidapur village in Bihar. We shared our opinion both with UNICEF, Bihar and UNICEF, Delhi.

Our chairman was invited to meet Mrs.Lizetee Burgers UNICEF WES Chief at Delhi to share our experience with her. UNICEF made a short film' Time for Change" on Menstrual hygiene in 2007.

WOMAN ON Wings, Netherlands

UNICEF was in close touch with Woman in promotion of MHM among rural areas. It included Woman among a list of leading working in the field to Women on Wings, an from the Netherlands to India to develop business models for entrepreneurship for sanitary napkin production.

After visiting several states and studying the different models in the country the WOW identified woman model as a very good model for replication and scaling up the field of MHM in the country. Ms.Ton Berg and Ina Dijstelbloem and other experts from WOW visited Keeranur three times and had detailed field visits and discussions.

The business model suggested by WOW will lead to more sustainable SN business in rural areas with small scale production units, generate income for rural women and ensure supply of SN to the women in rural areas at affordable prices. The team appreciated the Women for its openness and willingness to share its expertise in the field and at the same time its willingness to learn the best practices from others.

WOMAN, and Government of INDIA

Mrs.Kannaghi Chandrasekaran President of Woman on invitation participated in the SACOSAN-III conference held in New Delhi in December 2007 and was honoured for championing the cause of MHM. Woman took an active part in focusing MHM and urging the Government of INDIA in including the same as part of the total sanitation campaign. Woman's chairperson was asked by the NRHM to address the I.A.S. officers of Bhopal. Mrs.Kannaghi explained the Woman model to Ms.Sujatha Rao of NRHM in New Delhi and later was asked by Mrs.Rao to explain role of Woman on MHM at the meeting of I.A.S officials held at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

WOMAN, and MHMC

Woman worked with other partners to form Menstrual hygiene management consortium. Mrs. Kannaghi, chairperson of woman is the first president of the consortium.

Archana from UNICEF visits SHG napkin unit in 2007

Women on Wings from Netherlands

Mrs.Shantha sheela Nair IAS retd and Trichy Collector Mr.Rajamani visit

MHMC Inaugration at Chennai 14-07-2010

Production of Sanitary napkins

Sanitary napkin production is notonly identified as one of theProfit making business for SHG members by woman but as the hygiene programme.

SHG members made hand made sanitary napkins in 1992. In 2007 many groups started making sanitary napkins by using simple machineries. we developed many more easy, simple semi automatic machineries for regular sanitary napkins. Now SHG are making wings model napkins;Since, they produce, market the napkins, rural and urban women are using the napkins regularly.

Unicef- Making Filim on Woman SHG Napkin Production unit 2007

Success Story

Semi Automatic Machinery

Bulk Productions

Disposal Mechanism

we give utmost importance in giving awareness for disposal of the sanitary napkins.Building women friendly toilets in schools, colleges and any other public places will be the welcoming change in disposing the napkins. We have given Napkin Dispo Machine/Incinerators to schools and colleges at free of cost