Udupi: The Dr. T.M.A. Pai Endowment Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, Manipal University, launched “Health and hygiene of adolescent girls” programme at Perdoor High School on March 28.
As many as 22,500 girls in 180 high schools from Udupi and DK were benefited from the programme. The programme targeted the village students from the age group of 10-19. The Chair provided sanitary napkins to 22,500 adolescent girls for free of cost and introduced to the concept of sanitary pads.
The Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje after inauguration said that menstrual hygiene is an important issue for adolescent girls in rural areas. In earlier days people were hesitant to discuss the issue. However, the society is changing and parents and teachers understand the importance to discuss such issues, she said.
It is an attempt to make the students understand about the usage of using quality napkins and following hygienic measures. Maxing them raise from the local traditional sanitary system. It is the best programme for students to sensitize the use and advantages of sanitary napkins, Karandlaje expressed.
H.G. Joshi, Chairperson of Dr. T.M.A. Pai Endowment Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, said that the sanitary napkins were being produced by Self Help Groups (SHGs) run by the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship at Parkala and Laila villages.
He also said that if any self-help group wants to start a manufacturing unit of the napkin could come forward. The chair will assist them and provide them the raw materials. We are planning to distribute the sanitary napkins free of cost for a year, for which we need more manufacturing units” he added.
A team of trained volunteers from the University will educate the girls thorough though videos, stories. Currently one packet would be supplied to each girl, he said.
