CHENNAI: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, Grundfos Pumps India Pvt. Ltd. (Grundfos India), one of the largest manufacturers of energy-efficient pumps has been working with V-Excel Educational Trust, a Chennai-based public charitable trust to create livelihoods for differently-abled individuals.
Grundfos supported V-Excel in establishing a sanitary pad making unit where these differently-abled trainees are trained and employed. The objective of this initiative is to produce low-cost sanitary pads, which are commercially viable. V-Excel has trained some of its autistic and intellectually challenged students to operate this unit.
Through these efforts, V-Excel has now launched “Thozhi”, a low-cost sanitary napkin. Thozhi is made using fine and good quality raw materials. The napkins are packed in sealed and sterilized packets. Each packet contains four pads and costs Rs 20.
According to a recent survey conducted by AC Nielsen and Plan India revealed that nearly 70 percent of women cannot afford sanitary napkins and over 88 percent of women choose shocking alternatives such as cloth, ashes and husk sand during menstruation, thereby causing severe reproductive health problems. Therefore, Thozhi is an ideal solution to handle this issue.
Speaking about the launch of Thozhi, Mahathi Parashuram, Regional Head – Public Affairs, Communications & relations, Grundfos Asia Pacific Region said, “It is critical for differently abled youth to have access to training and opportunities that provide them with a good means of livelihood. This endeavor of ours with V-Excel to launch Thozhi not only supports this cause but is also a means of promoting menstrual hygiene products for the underprivileged.”
Echoing their sentiments on the launch and the association with Grundfos, Dr. Vasudha Prakash, Founder-Trustee of V-Excel stated, “We are constantly looking for partnerships with corporates that will result in opportunities for employment and independence for our trainees. This initiative with Grundfos is the culmination of a lot of research done in the sanitary napkin market and to address a desperate need in India.”
To mark the launch, the napkins were distributed among the female students of a Government School in Chennai. Going forward V-Excel will start supplying these sanitary pads to some of the local schools for the underprivilegedin Chennai.
