Tribal women manufacture sanitary pads in Palghar to break cycle of migration

Menstruation may be a taboo topic in the predominantly tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra but for women from the Katkari community in Dabhon village manufacturing sanitary pads guarantees a sense of permanency and a steady incomeWomen from the Katkari community which is classified as a primitive vulnerable tribal group PVTG usually migrate to different parts of the state and country to work in brick kilns or as farm labourers but an initiative under the Integrated Tribal Development Projects ITDP has given them an opportunity to earn their livelihood without having to move from one place to anotherA brain child of subdivisional magistrate Dahanu Aseema Mittal the project has been funded by the Manav Vikas Mission human development mission of the Maharashtra government and implemented by the ITDP DahanuWomen from the Katkari community used to migrate for work We gave them extensive training and now they have started manufacturing sanitary napkins We are looking forward to seeing a major change in their lives said Mittal who is the chief of ITDP DahanuThe women who are part of the selfhelp group Pragati Mahila Utpadak Gat were trained over a period of six months to learn the process of manufacturing biodegradable sanitary pads she saidWhile 10 women are currently engaged in the activity many more are set to join the group and the project will be extended to other parts of the district as well the official saidNeevjivan Foundation an NGO imparted training to the women on practical aspects of the business and they are now manufacturing sanitary pads under the brand name PragatiProteek Kundu the director of the organisation said women from the Katkari community typically are away from their homes for eight months in a year and the project was started to introduce them to vocations they could take up without having to move around for workWith the active support of the ITDP Dahanu we started engaging with the women and introducing them to various vocations In fact they themselves came up with the idea of making sanitary pads because of the challenges related to menstrual hygiene and other health issues faced by them during menstruation Kundu saidThe foundation works with the primary objective of creating opportunities for sustainable livelihood for tribal women and youth based in rural Maharashtra so that they dont have to migrate to cities in search of workThe women received training in team work identifying potential customers conducting a market survey pricing products and marketing them accounts and bookkeeping among other concepts Kundu saidFunds from the ITDP were used to buy machines raw materials packaging materials and other related infrastructure to start the smallscale venture he saidWe sincerely hope that this project will help this group of women and their associates settle down in their village and help stop their migration to the cities Kundu saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever