Hasiru Dala, a non-profit organisation working for the welfare of waste pickers in selected cities of Karnataka, is embarking up on a project to promote the use of reusable menstrual products instead of single-use sanitary pads among women and selected Nagawala gram panchayat in Chamundeshwari assembly constituency Mysuru for its pilot programme.
Under the project, an estimated 2,000 girls and women from 12 to 45 years falling under all the five villages of the gram panchayat will be provided cloth pads and menstrual cups in a bid to convert the entire gram panchayat as ‘Zero Sanitary Waste Gram Panchayat’.
According to a statement from Hasiru Dala, which is presently managing some dry waste collection centres and one zero waste management facility in MCC, the disposal of single-use sanitary pads in the open area may cause infections and diseases. To reduce this and to promote reusable menstrual products among women, Hasiru Dala has been continuously engaged in programmes that give training in ‘sustainable menstrual practices’ to girls in schools an colleges and groups of women in rural and urban areas of Mysuru district, the statement added.
Anil Kumar, Director of Hasiru Dala, Mysuru, they had already carried out a survey in the village covering various issues including the resources and beneficiaries. The target group of beneficiaries will also be provided training on the use of these reusable menstrual products instead of single use sanitary napkins. Already, ASHA workers, Anganwadi teachers and Self Help Group (SHG) members in the GP had already been provided with the reusable menstrual products, he said.
Hasiru Dala has taken up the project with other NGOs like Stone Soup Trust, Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), SVP India and Rotary West Bengaluru. Former Minister and MLA representing Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency G.T. Deve Gowda and Mysuru MP Pratap Simha will be present during the inauguration of the programme at Nagawala village at 9.30 a.m. on August 23.
Mr. Kumar said the duration of the project is one year after which they will consider taking up a similar exercise in urban parts by choosing one ward in Mysuru City Corporation (MCC).
Hasiru Dala said it is an NGO committed to improving the lives of waste-pickers by making their work economically sustainable. “We strive to integrate waste-pickers into the formal solid waste management landscape through policy advocacy, organising waste pickers and upgrading their skills,” it added.
