ASHAs from all districts in the state are reaching out to women and girls, especially in rural areas, about the crucial need to address menstruation and its impact on reproductive health, environmental conservation, and access to education.

It just started as an awareness workshop regarding Sanitary Waste management which has turned into a multifaceted program to encourage the shift to reusable pads, create a livelihood for the women in Jammu and of course, ensure decreasing the pollution on our precious planet.

A random article in the newspaper confirmed my fears that the disposal pads were the reason behind all my health issues related to my regular periods. I was shocked to know that it can even cause cancer. I was looking for an alternative desperately when my mom gifted me with Saukhyam pads. It was for the first time that I was seeing a cloth pad.

Ayudh India is the youth wing of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Youngsters in various parts of India come together in the service of mankind inspired by the teachings of their beloved Amma, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi. Ayudh chapters in various Indian cities have worked with the Saukhyam team to further the cause of sustainable menstruation. Not only have members switched to reusable pads themselves, but also these teams have conducted workshops to take the message of sustainability to thousands.

“Many girls in our community use disposable sanitary pads and spend about ₹ 40-50 buying these every month. I am happy that I have no recurring expense now, Tomorrow I would be gone, my children and grand-children too, and their grand-children as well, but the disposable pads I would have used and discarded today would be around on our planet for hundreds of years causing pollution. This is prompted me to make the shift, I find these pads more comfortable to use than the disposable sanitary pads I was using earlier,” Kajal says.

The Saukhyam journey started with a quest to find a hygienic and affordable way for rural women to handle menstruation with dignity. When Embracing the World launched the Amrita SeRVe Self-Reliant Village project, our volunteers fanned out into the field and began listening to villagers describe the challenges they were facing. Along the way, we realized that instead of celebrating the power of womanhood, menstruation was being looked upon as a taboo subject – a source of shame and a topic to be avoided.

We all know that we are indebted to our beautiful Mother Earth and all Her creatures, for sustaining and supporting us every moment of our lives. Humanity is now facing perhaps the most crucial moment in history – what scientists are calling a tipping point. This is an age when the delicate balance of Nature is in danger of being lost forever. Yet these challenges are also opportunities that call upon us to rise up and act with selflessness and unity. We all have a responsibility – towards our fellow human beings, our future generations, all living creatures and towards the planet. Mother Nature has given a home to all of us.

We believe it is essential for every woman to have a healthier way to manage her period because this process is what makes all life possible. An examination of the world’s great religious traditions reveals that throughout history and the world over, feminine qualities, far from being denigrated, have been revered as powerful, pure and closest to the nature of the Divine itself. Across those same cultures, the menstrual cycle was historically seen as a sacred, meaningful, and important part of life. In the Sufi tradition, the whole universe is described as the “Divine Womb.”

We believe it is essential for every woman to have a healthier way to manage her period because this process is what makes all life possible. A woman’s body is designed so that she is ready to welcome a soul to earth and nourish it to its full growth. There are specific organs that only a woman has. These organs have a monthly rhythm to promote the best circumstances for the baby to grow. Part of this rhythm is the menstrual cycle, where the blood lining of the uterus, which is highly rich in nutrients, is released before it builds up again during the next menstrual cycle.

The super absorbency and the pure white of the disposable sanitary pads come with a price. Research shows that these pads contain super-absorbent polymers mixed with bleached cellulose. Super-absorbent polymers are sodium salts of poly acrylic acid, capable of absorbing water, up to 30 times their weight have the side effect of absorbing moisture from our sensitive skin, causing rashes. Chlorine, used as a bleaching agent to get the pure white color, leaves dioxin residue. These carcinogenic dioxins are easily absorbable and can stay in our bodies for a long time, causing many health problems thereby poisoning our immune and reproductive systems.