Bengaluru NGO’s Women Volunteers Are Delivering Menstrual And Contraceptive Products to Women Stuck at Home
Usually, in a home, when a tragedy strikes and everything goes south, every member of the family comes together to put up a fight and helps in traversing through the tough time. Something similar went down with the people of India when we were hit with the second wave of coronavirus. This time, it wasn’t just governments and hospitals that were reaching out. People were. Everyone tried to pitch in to help with oxygen cylinders, leads for beds and what not. But often, like women, menstrual and other essentials are forgotten.
People came together to launch campaigns, NGOs started chipping in more time and taking out drives for the needy, several helplines and frontline workers worked relentlessly in this fight against Covid-19. And one such NGO that assumed responsibility during this time was the Good Quest Foundation, that set up a helpline to meet the requirement for essentials, especially for women.
The NGO that was anyway taking calls from people who would reach out to them for urgent requirements, received a call from a woman, which is how this idea started taking form. She had made a call to request for something, however, upon being answered by a male operator, she kept the call immediately feeling a tad bit uncomfortable.
Bengaluru's The Good Quest Foundation is one such NGO that has been doing a commendable job of helping people through the crisis, especially women.
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Also Read : This Group Of Women From Telangana Earned Rs 30 Lakh During This Pandemic By Stitching And Selling Masks
The male operator, Vinod, then asked his colleague Felcy to call back and attend to the caller. It was while Felcy talked to the woman, that she figured how it was because the woman’s request was for a packet of sanitary napkins, that she felt uncomfortable in talking to Vinod about her need for menstrual products. While Felcy took care of the delivery, the NGO now had a bigger concern on their hands.
Felcy commented on the matter as she pointed out, “In such cases, we attend the call, enquire what they need and deliver it to their homes. There are several women who are on their own with no one else to help them. We were not aware of their situations until such calls came in. Now, we specifically reach out to such females on priority.”
Another volunteer Navya, shared how several other women who would be on PCOD medication or would have requests related to contraception, would too feel uncomfortable talking to a male operator. A problem that was addressed by the NGO and how. She added, “Asking anyone to get contraceptive pills isn’t something most women are comfortable with, especially the ones from lower financial groups. I know they will need those pills since I was also under such medications a few years ago. Hence I ask them what did their Gynac prescribe and drop the medicine bags at their doorstep if they are positive or isolated.”
It is great to see that women and their concerns are not being abandoned during a time like this, and that there are people out there willing to address them and help them out, with menstrual products, contraceptives or anything else they may require.
