Srinagar: While some people are distributing necessary food items to the needy amid Covid-19 lockdown, Irfana Zargar, a volunteer from Kashmir is busy providing sanitary pads to women and young girls free of cost in Srinagar and nearby villages in Kashmir valley, and the initiative has won her huge admiration. Apart from sanitary pads, the kit comprises medicines and sanitizers as well.
Due to the coronavirus lockdown, women in Kashmir were facing problems in getting their hands on sanitary napkins due to their free movement and closure of markets.
Zargar, who works in the private sector has dedicated the 'Eva Safety Kit' initiative to her beloved father, Ghulam Hassan. Zargar’s initiative aims at providing free sanitary pads among other things to women at public toilets in Srinagar. So far, she has distributed menstrual kits in around 15 washrooms around Srinagar. These kits include sanitary napkins, antispasmodics, panties, hand sanitisers, and hand washes.
"I started this concept in the washrooms first, when it came to my mind, I wanted to cover 15 washrooms in Srinagar city and later go to villages," said Irfana, who has invested half her salary in purchasing menstrual products and has distributed it all to unprivileged girls.
"If my sisters and brothers are with me then by the grace of God I will take this initiative forward and I want to take this mission to villages after the lockdown gets lifted, I will start this initiative again in the washrooms" she added.
Addressing women as the building blocks of society, Zargar said that it is important to take care of their health if we want our society to progress.
A Srinagar resident-Maryam Jain said, "She is doing a good job because during the lockdown we could not go outside, so we use to contact her and she helped us. It is a good deed".
Inspired by the noble act, Shazia Mehraj, a doctor, has also joined Eva Safety. “Initially, I was reluctant to join her mission, but I couldn’t hold back because the initiative is very noble,” Mehraj said.
People like Zargar help in bringing a positive change in the society and they also make people's lives easier and healthier.
It is estimated that around 120 million menstruating adolescents in India experience menstrual dysfunctions that affect their normal daily chores. But only 36 per cent of its 355 million menstruating females use napkins.
With inputs from ANI
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