Meet Niketa And Poovayya, Teenagers Providing Sanitary Kits To Migrant Women Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Spread the love

After the Centre enforced the nationwide lockdown on March 25, two Bangalore based teenagers were firstly excited at the thought of board exams getting postponed. Tia Poovayya and Niketa Khanna, both students of Mallya Aditi International School, however soon learnt that there were a lot of people struggling to access even basic need items amid this COVID-19 crisis. The gravity of the problem was understood by them when their domestic help requested them for sanitary products and they could imagine the horrid situation which migrant women must be facing at the moment. This made the duo start an initiative named ‘Aurat Arogya’ to ensure that basic sanitary products and other essentials should be made accessible to underprivileged or migrant women in such difficult times. An attempt to ameliorate the pandemic situation by these two gritty teens has brought relief for many needy people and is praiseworthy.

In order to learn more about migrant workers in Bengaluru, Niketa, residing in Koramangala approached the police station in her area and worked with them for the delivery of hygiene-kits. Both the teenagers thanked Bangalore City police for making it a successful initiative and acknowledge that on-ground distribution work in such a situation would not have been possible without their co-ordination. For collecting funds, initially, they reached out to their near ones through Whatsapp and later took to Instagram for spreading the word. They had collected nearly a lakh in their first round and it allowed them to donate nearly 1000 kits that contained essential hygiene products such as pads, shampoo and soaps. Soon after receiving an overwhelming response, they conducted the second drive of donating hygiene kits and are now preparing to do the third drive after their board exams.

In a conversation with us, Tia Poovayya shares,” Talking to my domestic help; I realized that how difficult it is for underprivileged women to procure hygiene-related products in this situation. While they’re struggling to arrange their three meals a day, their menstrual health has taken a backseat. For migrant women the situation has been worse and they couldn’t think of taking care of their hygiene. Periods still being a taboo topic make it further difficult for them to reach out or ask for sanitary products in lockdown. This initiative was possible only with the funds which we have generated through social media platforms and also with help from Bangalore police. We need to realize that if we come from a position of privilege, it’s our moral responsibility to contribute to those who have been hardest hit and help them in whatever little ways possible.”

The gritty- teenagers worked tirelessly to prepare the 1000 kits and have completed two rounds of distribution. They ensured that they sanitized themselves and wore masks when they ventured outdoors for the relief work. Niketa shares that it has been a life-changing experience for her and it made her familiar with the realities on the ground. Both of them agree on the point that even though many NGO’s have come forward to provide food and other essentials to migrant workers, but no one is looking after the sanitary health essentials of women. After talking to many underprivileged women, they got to know that they have to reuse the same washed cloth when they’re on their periods. This could even lead to infections but they’ve no other option left. Right now, they’re collecting funds for their third round of distribution and want to reach to as many needy women as possible with their initiative.

“One of the major hurdles in making this initiative happen was that it was not easy to procure all goods and pack them with so many restrictions going during this phase. With travel restriction in place, we got our passes with the help of Bangalore Police. I was not expecting to get such an overwhelming response. All those who have contributed to this cause have been extremely generous. When we met few women during the distribution, they were highly thankful to us and shared the problems which they’ve been facing to procure hygiene-related products. Right now, both of us are looking to conduct the third drive once our board exams will be over. It has also made me realize the utter need to work in this field and we will continue with it even post-lockdown. Periods are natural and we need to talk openly about it. Any small effort to make a difference counts and contributes to the greater good of society.” shares Niketa Khanna in a conversation with us.

At such a young age, these two teenagers have realized the importance of breaking stigmas related to periods and want to continue working for underprivileged women so that they’re not denied the access to menstrual health-related products.

Spread the love

Period products, over the recent time, have got a lot of recognition and acknowledgement from not only its users but also organisations/ individuals working towards the development of menstrual hygiene and its awareness.

For a menstruator, choosing a period product means a lot and their choice, undoubtedly, does make an impact on several other fellow menstruators.

But the real question is how much impact it brings on ground?

Recognising the #MenstrualHygieneDay this year, Infano decided to talk to some of the women who wanted to share their real-life experiences of choosing a or switching to another period product.

Namrata

It was the first year of my period! So apparently, period and period products were one of the top talks in my school schedule.

I remember using handmade cloth pads — mostly because my family couldn’t afford a packet of synthetic sanitary napkins every month.

In those days, Whisper and Stayfree were luxuries and some of my friends who could afford them were no less than princesses to us.

I remember when I got my first packet of Whisper — I was elated!!

But that feeling lasted only a few years.

Growing up, I used to read about UTIs and vaginal infections. Eventually, I gave up on these synthetic pads and went back to my original option. Fast forward to as of this writing, I am following sustainable practices and hence given up on any kind of disposable or plastic-based period products. I’m completely into menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads now — they are long-lasting, soft to my body and clean and I don’t need to throw them either and oh yes, it saved me loads of money as well! And let me say, I’m so in love with them!!

Sheetal

I’ve always been a pad woman! I could afford to buy the best sanitary pads brands and other menstrual hygiene products but I chose to stick with pads. I don’t know if it was the comfort or lack of knowledge or if I was reluctant not to switch to any other product — but I always remain stuck with these pads. UNTIL — I decided to give in to my passion for swimming.

Now swimming as you can imagine demands daily practice and hours of dedication. While I was totally up for it, my periods weren’t. And that is when my instructor recommended me to switch to menstrual cups. Again, I was reluctant, but I had no choice!

My first few cycles were messy and the very first day was an honest disaster but it took its own time — and one day it felt like that cup was solely made for me!! LOL!

I have to admit, I was being fussy but that menstrual cup is the next best thing that happened to me after swimming. It changed my life completely and I still get mad at myself for not choosing it earlier.

I represent West Bengal in swimming and preparing for Nationals currently.

Meena

I’m 53YO — already hit menopause and now living a blissful period-free life.

Menstruation in our life was considered a curse, a sin and something that women could only talk about behind veils.

From not entering the kitchen to sleeping on the floor to teaching my son about it — I’ve seen it all!

I’ve mostly spent my life using old clothes as pads. Even after marriage, I mostly used clothes. However, while on family trips, I used branded ones too. It was a choice that I made for myself. Mostly, because cloth pads made me feel comfortable while readymade ones were only a choice I had to make on sudden periods. And I stayed with this until a few years ago.

2-3 years before I hit my menopause, my son got me a period panty. He is a very kind and responsible kid and has grown up into a considerate gentleman. He wanted me to switch because he felt those were most relaxing and worry-free for someone at my age. Not only he helped me in understanding, but he also kept asking for feedback until I used it for 3-4 cycles. He wanted to ensure that I was satisfied with what I was wearing.

While I won’t say that it’s as good as my classic cloth pads, I can definitely say that it’s no less than that.

Saba

Being an event manager, I’m always on wheels — sometimes for 16 hours at a stretch and the adventure it brings while I’m on my periods is unmatchable!

I’ve PCOS and mostly have irregular periods. While I always keep a panty liner with me, I’m a great fan of tampons. Maybe because I’ve been using it since 9th grade but I never really thought of replacing it with any other period product. I keep good ol’ sanitary pads for emergency purposes, but as long as the light is green, tampons are my saviours!

Shivi

What do I use? I’m a hardcore traveller — go on trips every alternate month and also suffer from PCOD.

When I’m home, I prefer reusable cloth pads for spotting and menstrual cups for heavy flows and I always keep a set of period panties with me.

For the first two days, a menstrual cup along with a cotton panty liner is a great combination for me. In third and fourth days, I stick to period panties, they are the best! For the fifth day, I say alvida to my periods with a reusable cloth pad. I always keep a packet of biodegradable pads in my bag for emergencies.

I’m focusing on reducing my carbon footprints and these products have helped me a lot in doing that. It’s been two years and I haven’t bought a single packet of synthetic sanitary pads.

Infano thanks these lovely women for sharing their stories!

This #MenstrualHygieneDay, #Infano along with #TheLogicalIndian, is addressing nuanced conversations on period centering on the well being of the menstruators as they power through every day. Share your experience with period products in the comments because your story can trigger an important aspect that we all need to know and talk about! #IPeriodMyWay #MHD2022