Dollar Industries as a part of their CSR initiative, in association with SEED (Society for Socio Economic and Ecological Development) launched the campaign #BeFreeBeYou. The campaign aims to improve the menstrual hygiene of the underprivileged girls, where sanitary napkin vending machines will be installed in Government schools across West Bengal. In the first phase 100 sanitary napkin vending machines will be installed around Kolkata and sub-urban areas. These machines will provide good quality sanitary napkins at a nominal cost.

The #BeFreeBeYou campaign was launched by popular actress Debadrita Basu, who portrays the character of Joyee, in the Bengali mega serial Joyee. Also gracing the occasion was Ms. Vedika Gupta, Vice President, Dollar Industries Ltd and Dr. Somenath Bhattacharyya, Executive Director, SEED.

With the help of this initiative, girls will be enlightened about the proper use of sanitary napkins and impart proper knowledge and create awareness related to the physiology of menstruation.

Schools have been identified on the basis of having maximum underprivileged girl children and workshops will be conducted in each of the schools to create mass awareness on this issue.

The first lot of schools where the Sanitary Napkin Vending Machines will be installed as a pilot project are Taki House Govt. Sponsored Girls’ High School (H.S.), Victoria Institution School, Kendua Mahendranath Girls High School, Sanghamitra Vidyalaya, Khidirpur Muslim High School,Lajpat BalikaVidyalaya, Jawahar Lal Nehru Balika Vidhyapith, Fatepur Hindi Nagari Pracharak Vidyalaya, Bansdroni Chakdah Vidyamandir, Dum Dum Road Govt. Sponsored High School for Girls, Sri Ramkrishna Sarada Sangha BalikaVidyalaya, Giribala Sircar Balika Vidyalaya School, Alipore Multipurpose Government Girls School, Badartala Madhyamik Balika Vidyamandir and The Oriental Seminary School.

Unhygienic menstrual practices also lead to several health issues like cervical cancer. Thus, more such projects are the need of the hour for improving menstrual hygiene in both rural and urban areas.