Delhi, March 2023: PNB Housing Finance has undertaken a noble mission to create awareness and train rural women about the importance of menstrual hygiene. A program on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) was inaugurated on 19 January 2023 under which the Company, in association with the Desai Foundation, has set up a sanitary napkin production unit at Sitapur Road in Lucknow.
PNB Housing Finance’s CSR arm, the Pehel Foundation, has taken this initiative to eliminate a key barrier to girls’ education and women’s participation in the workforce. The program aims to increase awareness about menstrual hygiene among rural women and provide them with easy access to quality and affordable sanitary napkins. A three-pronged approach, i.e., creating awareness, establishing a local production unit, and building a robust distribution network of female sales representatives, will help foster a sustainable ecosystem and boost their financial empowerment.
PNB Housing Finance MD & CEO Girish Kousgi said, “The women workforce forms an integral part of a nation’s progress. We believe that such last-mile community programs help build progressive individuals. Through this initiative, we intend to empower young women by removing the stigma associated with menstrual health, as well as the lack of knowledge and resources towards adequate hygiene, which hinders their growth and development.”
While this program will help provide livelihood opportunities to rural women, the Company is confident that the direct distribution model will increase access to menstrual hygiene, which can prove to be a catalyst for change in the entire community. It also plans to extend a similar program in other locations in the coming future.