Making clean menstrual hygiene a reality for many

A survey conducted by 25-year-old Dilip Kumar Pattubala, out of curiosity, exposed him to the abysmal levels of menstrual hygiene existing among women in the low income group.  This Bangalorean, a serial social entrepreneur was caught tongue-tied when an Australian colleague made an innocuous enquiry about menstrual hygiene among the urban poor.  Unable to give a satisfactory answer pushed Dilip into research, and what he found moved him enough to start Sukhibhava, a social enterprise that aims to provide women from lower income groups with better, cleaner menstrual hygiene products and educate them against using traditional methods.

In 2010, Government of India, under National Health Mission approved RS 150 crore scheme to increase access of sanitary napkins among women and girls.   In spite of these schemes,  menstruation, a simple bodily function, is shrouded in years of meaningless cultural norms and secrecy, leading to adverse repercussions on women all over the country, but profoundly so among the urban poor. Dilip’s survey of 250 women in urban slums restates the lack of awareness.  “After doing research, I conducted a survey to find out the level of sanitary napkins’ penetration. Only 12 per cent of women all over the country use sanitary pads!” he says.He also interviewed 250 women from three government schools, three urban slums and two garment factories in Bangalore.“A staggering  82 per cent women said they don’t use pads, out of that 76 per cent said they use old clothes while six per cent said they use materials like plastic, paper, sand, among others,” he points out.

Aftermaths of traditional methods:

The continuous usage of traditional methods and shunning of sanitary napkins can have both physically and socially damaging results, as exemplified by Dilip’s survey.

Two major aftereffects include absenteeism, and infections.  “In my survey, 36 per cent women said that they would abstain from going to work while menstruating. Especially in garment industries, absence during menstruation has become a ritual,” he says. He added that absenteeism extended to young girls who would either drop out of school on reaching puberty, or resort to taking five days off every month.

In an environment where the average household income is extremely low, loss of pay due to cutting work, compresses the already meagre family budget.   Similarly, girls quitting schools due to lack of hygienic menstrual products, forces them to either join the informal employment sector, or be married off promptly, which lead to another set of problems.   “More importantly, 54 per cent of women in these slums mentioned using cloths, and other objects like sand, plastic, newspapers which left them with rashes, and infection,” he adds. The lack of adequate medical help in these societies further compounds the problem.

Role of Sukhibhava:

To make a concrete action plan, Dilip tried to understand the circumstances that dictated these women’s choices. He zeroed in on three primary causes; expensive pads, lack of awareness, and disposal of the pads.“The price of sanitary pads is a huge deterrent.  Given their low household incomes, these were valid concerns,” he adds.

To answer these concerns and create awareness about better menstrual hygienic practices, Dilip’s Sukhibhava, employs a face-2-face approach. “Firstly, we show the women a 25 minutes video on menstruation, about the biological changes, and then we introduce the sanitary pads. We go back to their homes the next month for feedback on the product,” he says. Sukhibhava has tied up with, Bella, a sanitary napkin company, who provides them with subsidized, good quality pads.

Dilip proudly adds, “We found 92 per cent retention rate among women using sanitary napkins.” He adds that his future goals include spreading awareness in government schools and colleges.  “Currently I am running the show with the help of my savings.  But we are in urgent need for more volunteers. It is important to do away with old cultural taboos and gender stereotypes to make a tangible and urgent change in the lives of these women,” he adds.

This story was first published here.

Trash mob; 16-year-olds fight against littering and garbage

For 16-year-olds Vivek Krishnaswamy and Adhesh Shenoy, stepping out of their homes was nothing less than a chore.  A simple task of going for a walk in the neighbourhood filled them with a sense of loathing. Heaps of trash, unrestrained littering, and dirt lining the streets of the city they call home, hurt these youngsters.  However, instead of keeping quiet like many of us do, the two friends got together to initiate a clean-up drive, that would restore a sense of discipline that the city has begun to lack.

Armed with determination, self-belief, and a kind of idealism that only 16-year-olds can muster; Vivek and Adhesh came together to start Trash Mob, a monthly clean-up drive campaign.

“As a part of our Life Skills class, we had to submit a social action project. It had to be a practical project and not something paper-based. That is when we came up with the idea of starting a clean-up drive under the name Trash Mob. Our first mob was conducted in January. We loved how the place looked after we cleaned it up and the satisfaction it gave us cannot be described.  That gave us the confidence to make this a regular feature,” says Vivek who is a student of Sri Kumaran Children’s Home.

The driving force behind the project was not only the urge to live in a clean neighbourhood but also an attempt at changing the apathetic mind-set of citizens. Vivek points out that littering and dirtying can adversely impact the economic prosperity of a place, along with soiling the image of a city in the eyes of outsiders.  “We want to send out a message that our city, when clean, can rival international cities. The campaign is also a sort of war against the casual attitude of our citizens,” Adhesh added.

The first mob was conducted in BTM layout, the second in Jayanagar Sixth block, and their latest mob took place in Banashankari Third stage. Initially the group comprised Vivek and Adhesh, but slowly the number of Samaritans grew to 21.

Planning and execution:

“The first thing we do after getting together, is arrange our equipment. We use gloves, and masks to cover our hands and mouths and brooms and axes to take care of some types of trash. We also make sure we have enough garbage bags to collect all the trash,” Vivek   explains.

The group also makes flyers and distributes them to the commuters.

“But not everyone is interested. Sometimes we are snubbed rudely, while others tend to look at us indulgently, but they’re really not paying attention. This attitude irritates us. We wish others were just as serious, and understood that this isn’t just our city, it belongs to them too,” he adds.

These enterprising kids do not let lack of financial resources bring them down. In fact the whole exercise is completely self-funded. “All the volunteers are requested to make a donation of anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 150. With this money we buy gear for the next clean-up. But unfortunately, we’re still under losses,” says Adhesh.

The team, through its social networking profiles, keeps updating the public about their upcoming mobs. “We also distribute flyers and put up notices at our schools and building complexes. So, we usually end up having varied crowds for each mob. Sometimes we have just 12^th graders, and sometimes we even have random residents joining us after seeing us toil away!”

The group’s future exercises include having a fund raiser soon.

The story was first published here.

Meet the man behind 15,000 trees

On Sundays, and holidays when the rest of the population is enjoying a quiet siesta at their homes, one man likes to scour the city for places to plant trees. Kapil Sharma, his resume says, is a Software Engineer. But don’t let that innocuous sounding profession fool you. This 31-year-old Bangalorean is the brain, and sweat behind more than 10,000 trees in the city. Exasperated at the maddening rise of concrete jungle in the name of development and to put ‘garden’ back in the Garden City, Sharma started Say Trees, an organization that undertakes plantation drives, with a difference.

The year 2007 was almost a watershed year in the history of the city. Bangalore that had already begun its journey from a small town to a bustling metropolis completed that metamorphosis with the advent of the ambitious Metro project. Unfortunately, the project riled, and rubbed many citizens the wrong way, considering the number of trees that were felled.  Sharma was one of the many concerned.  Witnessing the chopping of trees on his commute to office and back strengthened Sharma’s resolve to do something about it.  “Seeing those glorious trees being reduced to heaps of wood felt bad,” he reminisces.

That’s when Sharma stumbled upon the idea of Say Trees.  He wanted to undertake a plantation drive that would ensure the return of the much loved green cover. “I remember sitting in the BBMP office to gain required permission to start a plantation drive. One of the peons asked me if I wanted permission to cut trees.  He looked surprised when I said I wanted permission to plant more trees!” recalls a chuckling Sharma.

Equipped with required clearance orders, and a scientific approach, Sharma got to work. “I wanted to start the initial phase with Outer Ring Road, and then target three places; Government schools, parks, and riversides,” he adds.

Say Trees is different from other organizations, in that they employ a complete plantation cycle methodology.  “We usually undertake plantation drives during monsoon, and from November the saplings are taken care of by our volunteers,” he explains.

“Last year we had a plantation drive at a Government school on Outer Ring Road, where we planted 300 saplings with the help of a Corporate.  Our volunteers visited the school every Saturday to water the plants, and helped in the removal of weeds,” he says.

For Sharma and his team there is no one-box-fit-all-sapling rule. They choose saplings based on the locations.  “For example, for schools we usually plant fruit bearings saplings, and for riverside we choose sapling based on the recommendation of ecological experts,” Sharma explains.

Say Trees avoids planting small saplings, with their low survival rate being a deterrent.  “We plant taller saplings, as they are more sustainable, and adapt quickly to the surroundings. Usually we plant trees that are five feet tall. In some cases, like this year, we planted trees that are 10 feet tall,” says Sharma.

The growth and well-being of these trees are monitored by the volunteers, and Residents’ Welfare Associations. Sharma adds that his organization is a mere facilitator and that people participation is the key to a sustained plantation drive.

Along with schools, Say Trees have also undertaken plantation drives around rivers. “This year we had two drives around lakes, Begur Lake, and Kasavanahalli Lake, which is being maintained by the Residents’ welfare Association,” he adds.

On September 13, Sharma and Say Trees will undertake one of their biggest plantation drives. “This Saturday, we will be planting 1,300 saplings in Koramangala. With that, we would have covered more than 4,00,000 sq feet of area,” he adds.

“Our efforts are not to merely plant trees, but create a vibrant lung space within the city,” says the man who will continue to spend his holiday looking out for places to plant more trees.

The story was first published here 

Fancy a forest? He will help create one

Imagine waking up to the cries of sparrows, the smell of flowers, and blinding greenery. Imagine waking up next to a natural forest instead of a concrete jungle that is swiftly eating into the urban green cover. One Bangalorean has been successfully turning that dream into reality. Shubhendu Sharma, a former engineer with Toyota, in a bid to overturn the curse of unfettered urban development, started Afforestt that helps grow a completely natural forest in your backyard!

Afforestt, started in 2011, is a for profit social enterprise that provides end-to-end services for creating a natural, wild, maintenance free, native forests.

A chance rendezvous with well-known Japanese naturalist Akira Miyawaki at the Toyato plant he was working in, introduced Sharma to the idea of growing a man-made forest.  Enthralled by the human backed ability to create a natural ecosystem with the help of existing natural materials, Sharma decided to emulate the Miyawaki method, with slight modifications, to suit Indian needs.

“The Miyawaki method states that every land has the potential to grow the native species of plants. Native plants introduced after the soil is surveyed and richened by adding nutrients it lacked, can convert the plot of land into a forest,” says the 28-year-old.

Before embarking on the project, Sharma did ample research, and experimented with pilot projects.  “Being a relatively unheard concept, I had to start researching from scratch. There were no parameters against which I could measure my ideas,” he adds. However, he soon created a mini forest in his hometown of Uttarakhand. “That successful first attempt gave me immense confidence to start Afforestt,” he says.

Sharma and his team, before creating a forest anywhere, take on a six-step method that includes, taking a three-sample soil survey, identifying lack of nutrients in the soil, taking bio mass survey, and most importantly investigating the surrounding areas for native species that can be planted.

The team then prepares saplings based on the potency of the soil.

“To make sure that the forests are sustainable, we go for a multi-level forest, where a ten feet tree is planted with 30 feet high trees,” he adds. This “organized chaos”, as he describes it, helps increase the survival rate of the forests by two percent.

After plantation, the first two to three years are the hardest. “Once the saplings or trees are planted, they have to be maintained properly for the first two or three years. They have to be watered regularly. But after the teething period, the forest grows on its own, without much maintenance,” he explains.

Sharma has also taken the proverbial ‘lack of space’ complaint of urban citizens into account.  If you have 1,000 sq metres, Sharma has a forest for you. “We plant three saplings in a square metre, and for one square foot we charge Rs 150,” he says.  Interestingly, with double-edged method of native species emphasis, and rigorous soil survey, Sharma’s forests are 30 times denser and grow 10 times faster than a normal forest.

Sharma and team have already planted more than 44,000 trees, in more than 33 forests across the country. “In Bangalore we have created forests in 11 homes and farms. We have also helped build forests in Delhi, Indore, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Nainital among others,” says Sharma.

The story was first published here

She rode 5,000 kms to deliver this message

 At 16 she learnt how to ride a motorcycle. Ten years later, Roshni Sharma, undertook an arduous journey on her bike, covering 5,452 kilometres to make a screaming statement against debilitating oppression of women.  This software Engineer from Bangalore, traveled from Kanyakumari to Khardungla, Ladakh, in 14 days, making her the first Indian female rider to do so.  

Born and raised in Narora, a small town in Western Uttar Pradesh, Roshni was lucky to have a set of liberal parents who did not believe in clipping their daughter’s wings. In fact, they fueled her passions and ambitions.   “My father taught me to ride a motorcycle when I was in class 11. My parents never held me back. They knew I had a mean adventurous streak, and they helped flourish it,” says this 26-year-old. In spite of having the privilege of a liberal upbringing, Roshni could not escape the widespread oppression of women, and sexism that exist all around.  

With the help of her passion, biking, Roshni decided to rebel against the crippling cultural norms that evidently eat into a women’s self-esteem, and well-being.  The mantra that propelled her forward and enabled her to complete the journey was women emancipation.  “I believe that women armed with sufficient precautions, and determined self-belief can conquer anything. And my bike journey proves that,” she adds. 

“I have ridden solo before. I rode Bangalore to Chennai and back in 12 hours. I have also ridden in groups. But no woman has done the entire North-South distance. When I informed my friends about the plan, almost everyone asked me to drop the idea.  I wanted to prove everyone wrong,” this Jayanagar resident says.  

The journey begins:  

Roshni embarked on this journey that was undoubtedly going to be fraught with uncertainties, and danger. “I left Bangalore on June 24, and reached Kanyakumari on June 28 , and from there my actual journey began,” she reminisces.  Before leaving, Roshni was advised against taking the Jhansi/Gwalior route, as the stretch is famous for harboring anti-social miscreants.   “I was told to take the Ahmedabad/ Mumbai route instead, but I didn’t want to shy away from difficulties. You can’t generalize an entire city on the basis of few untoward incidents. I took the route, and didn’t face any troubles,” she says.  

However, there were moments when Roshni questioned the sanity of her plan.  “One of my rules was not to ride at nights. Due to some time and distance miscalculation, I ended up travelling through the Pench National Park, on Nagpur-Seoni border at night. I underestimated the road, which was crowded with potholes and speed-breakers, and had only truck traffic.  I was truly terrified at that point,” confides Roshni.  

Roshni quickly managed to get over this minor hiccup and continued on her journey. She adds, “Wherever I went I was treated nicely. The look of awe and respect in their eyes when I introduced myself as a solo female biker, was most gratifying,” Roshni says. 

After reaching her final destination on July 10, Roshni didn’t feel very ecstatic. “I felt something was missing. But when I updated by Facebook status, and started getting congratulatory calls, the impact of what I have achieved hit me,” she says.

The cherry on the cake was the message from her parents.  “My parents called me up and said that I made them extremely proud.  Nothing could be a bigger reward,” says the rebel. 

She points out that a woman with a strong, unshakable self-belief may first rile the world, but it won’t be late before they start celebrating her.  

The story was originally posted here

GAZA

voices in our heads

Leaving isn’t difficult. It’s coming back that breaks you.

“So how was teaching terrorists all summer?” my aunt asked contentiously as we lay on the beach at the lake, August 2000. Like every summer since I was two, we were taking a week of family vacation to waterski and tan and fight over nothing. And like every summer, I was pretty sure I was going to punch a family member. But now for legitimate reasons.

I had just returned from the Gaza Strip where I had been teaching English to Palestinian Jr. High students. To this day, Gaza remains one of the most crowded, most impoverished, most hopeless places I’ve travelled. And I’ve been to a lot of shitty places. Beautiful, hospitable people, caged in like cattle. And that was fourteen years ago. Fourteen more years of siege. Of bombing. Of a relentless de-humanization campaign. Of tunnels and kidnapping and retaliations, and “you’re right” and “I’m…

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Let there be light, via Pet bottles

In a particularly poignant scene in Swades, an ingenious plan hatched by Shah Rukh Khan, the film’s protagonist, sees a house being lit for the first time. In the scene, an old woman’s wrinkled face is lit up both by the bulb, and by the astonishment at experiencing electricity for the first time.  A group of Bangaloreans are trying to bring that ‘Swades’ moment into lives of many urban poor, through an initiative called Liter of Light, armed with just some plastic bottles.   

The philosophy on which the initiative was founded is simple: convert sunlight into electricity, thus lighting up ill-lit homes.  The group first collects Pet bottles (coke, soda), and fills them with three parts of water and one part liquid detergent, so that water doesn’t get contaminated. The bottles are then covered with transparent sheets. A hole is made in the roof of a house, usually asbestos, and the bottle is fitted in with the help of industrial glue.  The bottle refracts sunlight, and is as good as a 55 Watt light bulb.

International beginnings:  

Alfredo Moser, a Brazilian, pioneered the idea of using plastic bottles as a source of light in 2002. The model was then implemented in Philippines. Slowly, this cheap and resourceful project found takers in many cities around the world. The goal of LOL is to light up one million homes by end of 2015, and the Bangalore chapter is playing an important role in achieving this goal.   

The level of electricity penetration in India is found wanting. According to a Wikipedia entry, India accounts for 300 million of the 1.4 billion people, who do not have access to electricity. The Bangalore chapter aims to bridge at least a small portion of that divide. 

In the absence of conventional forms of electricity, the group decided to make use of natural sources of light. In 2013, the Swiss Chapter of LOL visited Bangalore.  Soon after, the Bangalore Chapter, co- founded by Tripti Agarwal, got to work. 

Humble beginnings and challenges:

 With the help of an NGO, the group managed to install five bottles in LR Nagar, near Ejipura. Speaking about the initiative, Pankaj Dixit, a life coach and one of the active members of LOL says, “We went to five households to fit the bottles. After few months we surveyed the area again and found that residents were really happy with the initiative.”  

After LR Nagar, the group also installed similar bottles in 21 other homes in Nagerhalli and Banashankari. One of the most gratifying projects for the group was installing of bottles in a government school in Banashankari.  “The classrooms were dark, but we managed to improve the lighting with the help of the bottles. That felt nice,” says Dixit.  

In spite of the good work, Dixit feels that the group has miles to go before they sleep. “The work has been slow and our biggest roadblocks are manpower and lack of funds. We are currently dependent on volunteers from NGOs like ‘I volunteer’, students, and colleagues of our friends, among others,” says Dixit.

“We would also like to scale up the project, but funding is an issue. The industrial glue that holds the bottle to the roof, making sure that it doesn’t fall down, is expensive. Presently it is being sponsored by company called Sika.  We want to improve in such a way that the bottles can light up homes in the night as well. For that we need to invest in solar panels. We are also speaking to some engineering colleges to help us with research and development, so that we can work not only on asbestos roofs, but also tile roofs, and others,” he adds.  

This story was first published here