Sanitary pad vending machine and incinerator installed at Hyderabad government school

Hyderabad: A sanitary pads vending machine and an incinerator were installed at NBT Nagar Government High School on Saturday.

An initiative of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the machine was launched by Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi who lauded the FLO members and said that speaking openly about periods was no more taboo.

"We must shun old ways of managing periods and change with changing times. We must pay attention to personal hygiene. Periods are a natural and biological process, and every girl goes through this process. Sometimes, they can be painful too, but we must brave it all and never skip school," said the mayor addressing more than 100 girls of the school.

Ritu Shah, chairperson of FLO, said that the under the team's 'Sustain her health’ initiative, this isn't a one-time event but hundreds of girls will continue to get pads free of cost. No one should skip school due to periods or periods’ related to pain, or uneasiness. Education is also equally important, said Ritu Shah while addressing the girls.

Later Dr Sweta Agarwal spoke about menstrual hygiene, physical wellness and told them to follow three rules of periods — to pay utmost importance to hygiene, always use sanitary pads and to dispose them used hygienically. She also advised them to eat fruits which contain a lot of water such as watermelon, cucumber etc.

Kanika Jain spoke about mental wellness and said that menstrual-related stress is normal. "You can learn to cope with it," she told them and suggested several home remedies andd asked them to use medicine when the pain becomes unbearable. She also told them to play outdoor sports to deal with stress.