‘Sanitary Woman’ breaks silence of society on menstrual hygiene

By Sunita Singh

Gariaband (Team Newsbuddy): In the atmosphere of social silence and embarrassment regarding menstruation, there is a woman who has decided to talk openly on this subject. Kalpana Patil, now known as ‘Sanitary Woman’, has been spreading awareness about women’s health and hygiene for the last 15 years.

Kalpana’s journey started when she saw women around her adopting unsafe measures during menstruation, due to which they had to face many serious health problems. Then she decided that she would make women aware about the use of sanitary napkins. Her efforts have received special appreciation in rural areas, where this subject was not talked about openly till now.

During her campaign in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh, Kalpana organized programs in various schools under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign of the Women and Child Development Department. In these programs, she not only told the girl students about the benefits of sanitary napkins, but also broke the myths related to their use. However, as a result of the awareness campaign being run by her, sanitary napkin ATMs and incinerators are being installed in many schools and colleges under the Shuchita Yojana by the Women and Child Development Department, which ensures both accessibility and hygiene for the girl students. But due to lack of maintenance of most of the machines, it is not being used for a long time and girls are not able to get its benefits.

Talking about menstruation is still considered difficult in villages and small towns, but Kalpana Patil has overcome this challenge with her hard work and determination. Her efforts are not only saving women from health problems, but are also proving to be an important step towards making them self-reliant and aware. The effect of this awareness campaign is also being seen in urban areas, where now women and girls are openly talking about menstruation and hygiene related to it without hesitation