This Women’s Day, Mohali-based RoundGlass Foundation (RGF) opened its third pad-manufacturingfacility in the district’s Manauli village with the aim of breaking menstrual taboos and empowering rural women. The unit, which will provide employment to women in the village, was set up with the support of the village panchayat and inaugurated by Minister of Health and Family Welfare Sh. Balbir Singh Sidhu on March 8, Thursday.Health Minister Sh. Balbir Singh Sidhu, who inaugurated the facility, said,“Addressing health and hygiene needs is critical for the empowerment of women in Punjab.By opening this facility, the RoundGlass Foundation is providing rural women in the area easy access to affordable sanitary pads, thereby fulfilling their basic hygiene requirements. The women who operate the unit will also gainan understanding of running an efficient and self-sustaining business.”The unit has been equipped with a semi-automated machine that will use biodegradable raw material to produce 800 pads every day. A self-help group of 10 women from Manauli village, trained by the RoundGlass Foundation, will run the facility, managing everything from production to sales and marketing in nearby villages. To begin with, the women have been provided with raw material and packaging for 50,000 pads. The facility aims to drive operational efficiency and sales in a manner that these women can eventually earn well above the government-specified minimum wages.PreranaLanga, India Head, RoundGlass Foundation, said, “We are heartened to see enthusiastic participation from women in our new pad-making unit in Manauli. The aim of our Her Punjab initiative is to help generate local employment opportunities for rural women, thereby supplementing their earning capacity.”This year, RoundGlass Foundation plans to set up five more pad-manufacturing facilities run by women’sself-help groups in rural Punjab.The Foundation has recently helped 18 women enhance their family incomes via two pad-making facilities in Ludhiana and Rupnagar districts.It hasalso been conducting health and hygiene workshops to create awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene, educating more than 2,500 girls in more than 50 villages so far.
About the RoundGlass Foundation
In 2018, the RoundGlass Foundation set out on the journey of creating a healthier, happier, and more vibrant Punjab by making significant social, cultural, and economic investments in the state. The Foundation is committed to the promise of building a better Punjab by applying the principles of wholistic wellbeing to improve the lives of children, youth, women, and helping communities and the environment flourish. Over the past three years, the RoundGlass Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 700,000 people in more than 750 villages of Punjab throughinitiatives, organized across three pillars: (1)Learn Punjab, which includes education and sports initiatives focused on children and youth; (2) Her Punjab, which includes initiatives directed at women’s empowerment and; (3) Sustain Punjab, which includes several sustainability initiatives such as reforestation, solid waste management, and regenerative farming.