Shaathi Bangladesh Limited has opened a sewing center in Korail slum to teach underprivileged women and girls how to make reusable sanitary napkins for free. Shaathi held a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 30, to celebrate the opening of the sewing center in Korail slum. The project "Give women the gift of Independence" is sponsored by First Security Islami Bank Limited
According to an estimation of
Shaathi, a social enterprise that works on empowering women and girls through locally produced eco-friendly reusable pads, a woman uses around 200 disposable pads a year, which contain plastic and harsh chemicals that are non-biodegradable and serious environmental pollutants.
Besides, a woman experiences almost 400 periods in her lifetime, which means she needs to spend over Tk 80,000 on menstrual supplies, which is simply unaffordable for millions of women in Bangladesh.
This is why, sanitary napkins are still a luxury in Bangladesh, and according to surveys and data from sanitary napkins producers, even today, more than 75 percent women in Bangladesh use unsanitary rags, cottons, tissue papers, newspaper sheets and pieces of jute sacks on their heavy-flow days, compromising their reproductive health and well-being.