Menstrual Health
Kavach Menstrual Health
- Support global theme of ‘menstruation health matters to everyone, everywhere’, highlighting the key challenges and solving them; mainly:
- Accessible and affordable period hygiene Create long term sustainable behavioral changes in families, schools and community so girls and women can have access to affordable, safe menstrual hygiene.
- Period dignity Eliminate social stigma around the topic of menstrual health so the girls and women can have easy and safe access to information, health advice, support and live with period dignity.
Kavach Resolutions
Menstrual health is not a priority for most communities, as it is associated with shame and taboo and multiple layers of financial, social and situational problems. This landscape makes it impossible for a girl or a woman of an underprivileged community to have safe periods and receive the care, products and education she needs.
Kavach Solution:
A series of activities that address SDGs and at ground level remove/minimize all the above barriers and literally be an amour for girls and women. Make and Distribute KAVACH kits: a care package which includes underwear, sanitary pads and soaps.
Lack of awareness among families and society and hence objections and obstacles for girls and women to have SAFE PERIODS.
Kavach Solution:
- Education and awareness: A series of webinars, seminars, talks by Bharati Trivedi who is also chosen among the top ten counselors in India.
- Address the need of Period dignity and safe periods to decision-makers in the family, schools, community and government.
- Partner with Mumbai Municipal and government schools to cover over 50,000 girls in age group 8 to 13 years every year.
Lack of financial means to afford safe and sustainable sanitary products.
Kavach solution:
- Free distribution of sanitary napkins – in 2020 we distributed over 60,000 packets to girls and women.
- Work towards affordable and accessible supplies and develop a home-grown low-cost sanitary napkin product.
- Community engagement to bring women to donate/sponsor products for poor girls.
Sustainable low-cost affordable periods.
Kavach Solution:
A sustainable low cost re-usable sanitary product is developed by Kavach with the help of our trusted partners. These partners are themselves from marginal communities hence we are able to achieve three long term solutions with our project:
- Generate employment and income for our partners manufacturing re-usable products.
- Ensure a steady supply of low-cost products.
- Help sustainable periods.
Kavach Objectives
Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The challenges surrounding menstrual hygiene have massive implications for girls’ access to education.
Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Perhaps one of the most important SDGs menstrual hygiene addresses given its cross-cutting nature is the impact it has on gender equality. As it connects to SDG 4, girls who are more educated, confident, and focused on creating a better life for themselves, families and communities are more likely to move out of the poverty cycle and challenge gender stereotypes and norms.
Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. These three SDGs are invariably interlinked with a grass-root level work and Kavach has created solutions that serve each of the above three goals.