In Aug 2018, Project Kannamma, was started by
providing free, biodegradable sanitary napkins to 82 students at the Government
High School in Uthandi. Today, under
Project Kannamma, Rotary North supports 300 girls across seven Government and
Government-aided schools in the city.
The sanitary napkins are provided by the Irula
Tribal Women’s Welfare Society (ITWWS) (The Irula tribes are classified as
Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.) “Women from the community make 1000
pads per day, using Arunachalam Muruganantham, aka, Padman’s machines. If the
group sells 15,000 pads per month, it can sustain the families of 12 tribal
women,” explains Jacob Premkumar, who works with ITWWS. The sanitary napkin,
under the brand Aavaram, is prepared with natural raw materials such as cotton
and wood pulp, and a pack of six costs just Rs.
22.
