Pune - Finolex Industries Limited and Mukul Madhav Foundation in collaboration with Yuva Parivartan have been working in tribal villages of Palghar district, Maharashtra since the last 4 years to create better sanitation facilities.
459 individual toilets have been constructed in 7 villages in Palghar District. Each toilet is equipped with a solar light, name board in the lady’s name and have been provided with a bucket and mug to inculcate clean hygiene practices. 5 villages have been declared free of Open Defecation.
December 2019, Yuva Parivartan introduced Mukul Madhav Foundation to another project; creating Period Huts for menstruating women.
This was proposed in the villages of Gadchiroli, categorized as tribal, undeveloped & naxal affected, it is one of the 250 most-backward districts in the country, as designated by Govt. of India.
Banishing menstruating women to Period Huts/Kurma Ghars is an unhealthy practice amongst certain tribes in Gadchiroli. These period huts are unsafe from the perils of the society.
Managing Trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation envisaged a new concept to this need and coined the term ‘Eco-friendly Holiday Home for Menstruating Women’ to make them feel comfortable and secure during their stay at this home, her idea was to shift the erception of this stay to feeling like a holiday instead of a punishment.
The purpose of this home is to empower women by making them feel happy, healthy and step them up to be self-reliant with skill development activities.
The inner room accommodates 8 beds (4 made with reused plastic bottle bricks, 4 villages movable cots), a water filter and a wash basin. It has two netted windows, five ventilations, two solar operated fans and lights. The loft houses the water storage tank powered by solar energy for lifting water, and solar batteries.
MMF has decided to initiate skilling at the facility as well as at the community hall to train women in basic tailoring. KSWA has made available 6 sewing machines, two placed in the facility and 4 in the community hall. A trained instructor from the village has been identified to lead this initiative.
The home comprises of a room to accommodate 8 ladies for 4 to 5 days with a sit out and sanitation facilities. The rooms are well ventilated with fans and lights. Sewing machines are also placed inside the rooms for women to begin primary stitching work.
The sit-out can be utilized to skill the ladies by introducing to the ladies to stitch their own sanitary towels and also make them for distribution / selling at affordable prices to the nearby villages.
This will create a livelihood option for these women and will keep them occupied while they spend their time here.
AIM OF THIS PROJECT :
1. To sensitize the village communities to opt for Safe and Healthy Resting Homes for
women.
2. Promoting positive health practices amongst menstruating women and villagers
3. Creating safe, hygienic, healthy Holiday Homes for menstruating women by recycling
plastic bottles.
4. Promoting Skill development activities at grass root level to empower women.
5. Plans are in pipeline to purchase sanitary towel manufacturing machine and tie up with a
National level skilling body for more productive activities.
6. Sewing machines are placed in a community Centre where the women will be taught
basic tailoring inclusive of handcrafting saree blouses, saree petticoats, baby outfits, face
masks, Reusable sanitary napkins and cloth bags.
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