Nitish Singh hoisted the flag of Project Baala on Mount Elbrus as an emblem recognising the importance of awareness on menstrual hygiene

New Delhi : In India, menstruation continues to be shrouded as a taboo, and about 12.1 out of 33.6 crore menstruating women use sanitary napkin in the country as per National Family Health Survey. To address the situation and expanding its initiatives Project Baala partnered with Nitish Singh, a 24-year young mountaineer who recently hoisted the tricolour on Mount Elbrus. Nitish learned about the difficulties Indian women face during mensuration and took the initiative of distributing more than 5642 sustainable Baala sanitary pads to impart awareness around hygiene and menstrual health. Project Baala is aiming to create difference in the society, therefore makes it imperative for men to convey the message and normalise the stigma around mensuration.

Aradhana Rai Gupta, Co-founder, Baala said, “We are thankful to Nitish for his support in facilitating distribution of eco-friendly and re-usable sanitary pads to the needy women of India. The current situation highlights that it is essential men should participate equally to make a difference and create awareness on menstrual hygiene. We sincerely believe that this will cater to an ever-emerging need of creating awareness among the society at large about menstrual hygiene and bring about a positive change”.

Amanpreet Pasi, IRS officer, said “Project Baala has encouraged me to further my cause for women awareness around menstrual hygiene. It gives me immense pride to support Project Baala in their endeavor of distributing free sustainable Baala pads to the marginalized women. In these testing times, our association will allow Baala to spread a strong impact of their noble initiative.

Nitish Singh, mountaineer, said “I am delighted to be a part of an initiative which is working towards breaking the taboo around menstruation. I believe the cause is eminent and it needs to be addressed by all both men and women. I will continue to support Project Baala in their objective of bringing better health and hygiene facilities to the doorstep of every women”.

Since its inception, Baala has worked for the holistic development of a woman. From March 2020 till now, the initiative has provided over 7,50,000 sanitary pads free of cost to more than 2,50,000  women and girls from marginalized communities including those who migrated back to their villages during the lockdown. To augment its initiatives during the lockdown, Project Baala devised a new approach to continue their work. Digital access to menstrual awareness through their social media channels and the mobile app, Baala Boss, are provided in addition to the launch of a digital library with recourses catering to menstrual health, both in Hindi and English.

With 12% of women using sanitary pads, within a population of 1.2 billion, India faces a significant issue of non-biodegradable waste. Addressing the problem, Project Baala has plans to leverage the use of technology and innovation that can produce safe, hygienic, reusable pads and reducing waste production. To revolutionize menstruation and introduce sustainable options, Project Baala aims at working with different textile scientists and manufacturers to create a pad that can be used even in drought-stricken areas, eliminating the use of water, which can last for a longer time. This is a much-needed initiative taken by Project Baala to empower women in the society, to such an extent that stigma attached to their bodies can be eliminated and free them from the clutches of patriarchal oppression and misogyny.

Project Baala has put forward the initiative of not only distributing the eco-friendly napkins to the women in need but also educate them about hygiene and sanitation. The team has been travelling to villages across India with their menstruation and sanitation workshops and have left their footprints in around 17 states of India, till date. The mission lies in breaking the numerous myths associated with menstruation and making.