Women-Led Pad Squad Launches ‘Together for Poonch’ Drive To Aid Menstrual Health In Border Villages
Women-Led Pad Squad Launches 'Together for Poonch' Drive To Aid Menstrual Health In Border Villages
PUNE – Pad Squad, a women volunteer-led initiative founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched a fresh campaign—‘Together for Poonch: Every Pad Matters’—to distribute reusable sanitary pad kits to women in the remote border district of Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir. The region is still reeling from the after-effects of recent India-Pakistan tensions, where access to menstrual hygiene is often overlooked.
Formed by seven women from Pune and Mumbai, Monica Raheja, Mayuri Dhavale, Gillian Pinto, Chhitra Subramanian, Surya Balakrishnan, Taranjit Kaur, and Niiya Kumar, Pad Squad emerged in 2020 to address the urgent need for menstrual products among women from economically weaker sections. During the pandemic, when survival and food took precedence, the need for period care was often neglected. Since its inception, the organisation has supported over 20 lakh women across cities, slums, villages, and tribal areas nationwide, thanks to the efforts of 70 dedicated volunteers.
The current campaign aims to distribute 5,000 reusable sanitary pad kits, manufactured by Fab Pad, to women in Poonch. So far, donations have helped secure over 2,200 kits, with a long way to go to meet the target. Two local leaders have partnered with Pad Squad and will lead distribution efforts on the ground, ensuring that supplies reach the most affected women.
The organisation invites public support and donations through the campaign link: https://rzp.io/l/lK5ZmXIL. Should donations exceed the current target, Pad Squad plans to extend support to neighbouring villages along the Line of Control (LoC).
The founders are urging individuals and organisations alike to help amplify the campaign and raise awareness that in times of crisis, “Every Pad Matters.”
