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गांव की लड़कियां अब स्कूल जा रही हैं

Meet Thirty three year old Laad Lohar : The 'Pad Woman' of Udaipur

With stretches of barren sandstone on one side and pleasantly variegated cacti standing tall on the other, Rajasthan used to house the Gaduliya Lohars, a nomadic community of ironsmiths, way back in the 15th century.   Thirty-three-year-old Laad Lohar who now resides in the village of Ramnagar, Udaipur, is a descendant of the clan. Though Laad was always keen on learning and wanted to go to a school, her family was not supportive of the idea, mainly owing to the onset of her menstrual cycle. As time went by, she realized that she had missed the bus. That’s when Laad decided to prevent such incidents from recurring within her community.According to a report published in 2019 by Dasra, a Mumbai-based non-governmental organization, 23 million girls in India drop out of school every year due to lack of proper menstrual hygiene facilities, which include the availability and affordability of sanitary napkins, as well as the know-how about their usage.  To improve this situation, not only did Laad start spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene among girls in her village, but she also, figured out a cost-effective way to make reusable sanitary pads using cotton and banana fiber. That is not all. The 33-year-old kicked off her initiative under the name ‘Kamakhya’ to ensure the self-sufficiency of women during their periods. In the last nine years, she has trained more than 500 women to produce their own sanitary napkins.

Laad Lohar did not attend school. But her inquiring mind and yearning to learn led her to the path of self-education. She borrowed textbooks from her neighbors, friends, and studied them on her own within the four walls of her house. Due to certain stringent norms within Laad’s community, she had to get married when she was as young as 18. Talking about menstruation is still a taboo in several parts of India. Even mothers keep it very hush-hush and do not open up about the natural process of bleeding with their daughters. This, in turn, acts as a barrier in young girls attaining good menstrual health, and attending school regularly. To fix this, Laad Lohar began discussing periods with girls in and around Ramnagar. After talking to hundreds of girls and women, Laad figured that affordability and accessibility were the issues that needed attention. She came up with the idea of making sanitary pads on her own based on the feedback she received. The 33-year-old decided to use cotton, banana fibre, and parachute fabric after considering factors like safety, reusability, and absorbency. Laad also put in an initial investment of Rs 10,000 from her earnings as an ironsmith to buy basic machinery and other materials.  Once she was successful at making them, she put in an all-out effort to teach as many as 500 women. Today, all of them are self-sufficient and can maintain good menstrual hygiene. And, Laad herself, makes 10 sanitary napkins a day. However, since most of her customers belong to a humble background, she still does not have a choice but to sell it at the price of Rs 35 per piece.  She is presently looking to collaborate with NGOs and social enterprises in order to expand the reach of her product.

Despite social and economic constraints, Laad Lohar’s compassion and determination led her to empower young girls in her village. Over the last few years, Laad has been participating in seminars, and training women across cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Bikaner, and has earned herself the sobriquet of ‘Pad-Woman’.

(Text Source: Yourstory)
  

Tags: Laad lohar  |  Entrepreneur  |  Social Activist  |  Rajasthan  |  Udaipur’s ‘Pad Woman  | Spreading Awareness About Menstrual Hygiene