‘Cup of Life’: Kerala MP to Distribute One Lakh Menstrual Cups for Free

For generations, the concept of menstruation has been shrouded in this dark cloud of stigmas and taboos. This isn’t uncommon knowledge. But what people sometimes don’t see is that this has ramifications on a macro level. It’s led to period poverty and a severe dearth of menstrual hygiene education amongst women. And the pandemic made it so much murkier.

However, it seems like there is hope yet. In a bid to close the period poverty gap and equip women with menstrual hygiene methods, Kerala MP Hibi Eden has launched a campaign called ‘Cup of Life’. This campaign aims at distributing menstrual cups to more than one lakh women in his constituency within 24 hours on 30th August. This is the kind of initiative we need more of.

Initially, the campaign was called ‘Breaking Barriers’ and sanitary napkins were distributed through that. But pads proved to be problematic because they would clog toilets. Not to mention, they aren’t the most eco-friendly option. A study conducted in 2021 showed that India’s landfalls see about 12.3 billion sanitary pads every year. They also pose a health hazard for waste workers, especially if they are improperly disposed of. It’s because of these reasons that this new campaign involves menstrual cups. It’s a more sustainable choice since they last a long time. Let’s just hope that along the distribution, this campaign offers workshops and classes on menstrual health and how a menstrual cup is supposed to be used, stored and cleaned.

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Hibi Eden told The Indian Express, “Earlier, under the project ‘Breaking Barriers’, sanitary napkins and incinerators were introduced in schools. However, the pads posed a problem of clogged toilets. Menstrual cups turned out to be an alternative. Before the ‘cup of life’ campaign, menstrual cups were distributed in ward 17. After two months of the campaign, 4,000 women in Kumbalangi benefitted from the cups.”