To help slum area women get easy access to sanitary napkins, two city girls have taken to the social media in order to generate funds as well as awareness about the issue.

Launching the 15-day campaign from 1 June, these girls Vani Jindal and Srishti Millicent (both 23) from Mohali (adjoining Chandigarh) have so far collected Rs.16,000 for the work.

Using the social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat — Jindal and Millicent are asking for a minimum contribution of Rs.33 to their PayTm account. Along with this, people are also free to donate napkins after getting address details by making a call. For queries, a mail address has also been made available.

The campaign started after Jindal happened to visit a nearby slum area in Mohali, where she came across women who shared their stories about how they are battling the issue of access to sanitary napkins.

"Women get stared when they go to buy a sanitary napkin at the market place. People lack of knowledge has wrapped menstrual cycle into in confusion, disgrace, and humiliation might be hard to understand," Jindal told The Statesman.

"We have also given a written letter to Municipal Corporation on this burning issue. We have asked them to put few disposal bins in the slum area to dispose off sanitary napkins," she added.

The duo have also come forward to educate the illiterate women belonging to the rural areas since only 12 per cent of menstruating women in India use sanitary napkins which account for 70 per cent of vaginal infections, according to a recent survey report. 

A gynecologist with a private hospital, Namita Nagpal, said women's well being is given low priority be it a home or working environment. "However, to blow misinterpretations and break taboos, young men likewise need to understand how periods function. Schools should also provided with proper toilets that have water and cleanser and additionally choices for safe transfer of utilised menstrual item". 

"Watching the women battling with something so natural  is such a pain and shame in for our society. Though education is a major barrier for these women, but some their affordability too," said Srishti Millicent(23), travel blogger.