https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...alth-the-contributions-of-four-young-10152438
MAKING HELLISH PERIODS LESS PAINFUL: VANESSA PARANJOTHY
It may be a taboo or sensitive topic in polite conversations, but Vanessa Paranjothy is not shying away from talking about menstrual periods.
“No one talks about periods,” she said. “But it’s a huge problem for many women around the world, who don’t have access to sanitation during their periods.”
The solution? Menstrual cups, which are reusable cups made of medical-grade silicone meant to replace pads or tampons during a woman’s period.
The 29-year-old has won a Commonwealth Youth Award for her work in founding social enterprise Freedom Cups, which aims to put a menstrual cup into the hands of women who would not be able to otherwise afford one.
The Commonwealth Youth Awards recognise young people from every region of the Commonwealth whose innovative projects have had a significant impact on their communities, and Vanessa - who won for Asia - is one of four regional winners of the award.
Every woman who buys one of their menstrual cups, which is self-designed, customised for Asian women and manufactured out of the United States will result in one being donated.
“I found out about these cups through a friend who went to Guatemala for an internship,” she said. “And I realised they were the best option for women in the Third World who are experiencing hellish periods.”
“Periods are hellish as it is even in the First World, but imagine how much worse it’d be in the Third World, where you don’t have access to toilets or water.”
On top of that, she also organises projects to visit underprivileged communities in Asia to teach women about menstrual periods and distribute the cups.
To date, there are 15 projects in seven countries which have provided support to more than 3,000 women and girls.
But there is still much work to be done and Vanessa, who received £3,000 (S$5,600) in prize money, said the money will be put straight back into the business.
“We want to get into the Rohingya refugee camps in Myanmar,” she said. “So I think this money is going to fund our efforts there.”
***
Indian know how to make mentrual cups to meet million dollar PM?
WOW!
MAKING HELLISH PERIODS LESS PAINFUL: VANESSA PARANJOTHY
It may be a taboo or sensitive topic in polite conversations, but Vanessa Paranjothy is not shying away from talking about menstrual periods.
“No one talks about periods,” she said. “But it’s a huge problem for many women around the world, who don’t have access to sanitation during their periods.”
The solution? Menstrual cups, which are reusable cups made of medical-grade silicone meant to replace pads or tampons during a woman’s period.
The 29-year-old has won a Commonwealth Youth Award for her work in founding social enterprise Freedom Cups, which aims to put a menstrual cup into the hands of women who would not be able to otherwise afford one.
The Commonwealth Youth Awards recognise young people from every region of the Commonwealth whose innovative projects have had a significant impact on their communities, and Vanessa - who won for Asia - is one of four regional winners of the award.
Every woman who buys one of their menstrual cups, which is self-designed, customised for Asian women and manufactured out of the United States will result in one being donated.
“I found out about these cups through a friend who went to Guatemala for an internship,” she said. “And I realised they were the best option for women in the Third World who are experiencing hellish periods.”
“Periods are hellish as it is even in the First World, but imagine how much worse it’d be in the Third World, where you don’t have access to toilets or water.”
On top of that, she also organises projects to visit underprivileged communities in Asia to teach women about menstrual periods and distribute the cups.
To date, there are 15 projects in seven countries which have provided support to more than 3,000 women and girls.
But there is still much work to be done and Vanessa, who received £3,000 (S$5,600) in prize money, said the money will be put straight back into the business.
“We want to get into the Rohingya refugee camps in Myanmar,” she said. “So I think this money is going to fund our efforts there.”
***
Indian know how to make mentrual cups to meet million dollar PM?
WOW!
