Myna Mahila Is Challenging India’s Menstrual Stigmas

Women are always held accountable for being very voluble but one would be amazed to know how many still turn red when they have to talk about their periods. And when they do, it’s usually in hushed whispers. While the word period is still a taboo that is passed on from generation to generation wrapped in layers of brown paper Mumbai’s Myna Mahila Foundation (MMF) is paving a way for the much-needed conversation about women’s healthcare and hygiene in the nation.

Founded by Saloni Jalota in 2015, Myna Mahila Foundation believes the only way to break the stigma and taboo against menstrual hygiene is to start at the grassroots level. Named after the talkative bird Myna MMF is not only empowering the women to talk about their bodies and demanding better health and hygiene services but also employing them to make those services available from door to door.

Working in association with Mahila Milan Sanghatan at Govandi, Myna manufactures high-quality sanitary napkins at a much more affordable price. They have also formed a trusted network that sells these pads door to door in Mumbai Slums. MMF also packages the sanitary napkins to look like bread so that women are not bullied or ashamed to buy or carry them around. While the Myna Pads are sold door to door and public bathrooms, MMF also produces maternity pads that are sold to local clinics and hospitals. To spread awareness about menstrual hygiene, the foundation also gives a demo to the users by giving them instructions as to how to use the sanitary napkins. Making sanitary napkins affordable and accessible, Myna pads are marked at Rs 25 for 8 pieces and they also loan packets to families with five to six female members that can be repaid once the family is financially stable.

A foundation that started with the idea to gain some extra credits through social work, Myna Mahila Foundation reaches over 10,000 women a month making sanitary napkins accessible to each and every woman. That’s not it MMF also empowers its staff and other women by training them in self-defense, various workshops to educate them and foster confidence and leadership quality throughout the community.