BENGALURU: Shreya Maggon, a 15-year-old studying in New Jersey, is a teen on a mission. Working with city-based organisation Stonesoup, which produces and supplies sustainable menstrual products and is also part of campaigns regarding the same, Shreya is coming to India today to build awareness and donate reusable, eco-friendly products to underprivileged women in villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru, as well as women in Delhi and Rothak. Through crowdfunding, the teen has managed to raise about`1 lakh, which will go towards providing these sanitary products to over 200 women.
Talking to CE ahead of her trip here, Shreya says that her idea, apart from understanding the issues surrounding menstrual health in India, is to generate awareness among girls her age so that menstruation can be looked at positively. “I would like to create a group of volunteers who can take the campaign forward after my departure from India,” says the teen, adding that after hearing about the work Stonesoup has been doing and watching the movie PadMan, she started to research and realised that there was a big issue surrounding menstruation.
“This was new to me. I grew up not having to think twice about getting access to sanitary napkins, it was always available to me. Seeing that there were so many girls without access to clean menstrual products made me realise that change was needed. The more I researched about menstrual issues, I had also realised how horrific pads and tampons were for the environment. This is when I discovered reusable menstrual products, which are both cost and environment-friendly. This inspired me to start my campaign, Project Prakriti, to promote reusable menstrual products.”
Shreya is currently transitioning to reusable pads, which has reduced her dependance on disposable products by 75 per cent. “I have tried the cloth pads and they have been manageable and comfortable. I have not used the cups yet, and plan to start using it when I’m older.”
Talking about awareness in the US, Shreya says that there is no taboo in talking about this subject openly with friends and family, and that she has not heard anything negative about making a switch to environmentally-sustainable products. “Few of my friends have started to use it and they are quite okay with it. In my view, the biggest hurdle surrounding sustainable menstruation in the US could be the perceived convenience of disposable products. Also, in the US, disposable products, when compared to reusable ones, are quite affordable.”
One of the challenges, according to Shreya, when it comes to women switching over to reusable products, is that women say they don’t want to struggle with the cleaning. With the cup, the only step is to rinse, and as for the cloth pads, they need to be soaked in water and washed along other clothes. I want people to understand that it is not a big struggle cleaning either of the products – it’s quick and easy.”
As for how she wants to take her cause further, Shreya says, “I will continue to raise funds to support underprivileged girls and women in India, and also raise awareness in the US. I am also planning a follow-up trip three to six months from now. My pace and intensity towards this cause may fluctuate depending on my school load, as I’m starting Grade 11,” she signs off.To see what her campaign is all about or donate to her cause, check out Shreya’s Gofundme page:gofundme.com/menstual-cups-for-underprivileged.