BALCO’s Menstrual Health Management Project reaches 12000 women
Korba, December 17, 2020: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a global leader in aluminium, has been consistently working to support underprivileged women, especially in the domain of women’s health & hygiene. In a virtual ceremony held recently, Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO & Director – BALCO, and Ms. Leena Verenkar, Head CSR – Vedanta Ltd, unveiled IEC (Information, Education & Communication ) material on menstrual health and sanitary napkins, which will be mass-produced by local self-help groups (SHGs) for distribution, under BALCO’s Menstrual Health Management project.
The event was attended by more than 500 women and adolescent girls, along with community health workers, Assistant Nursing Midwife (ANM) workers and others.
Speaking about the Menstrual Health Management project, Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director of BALCO said, “BALCO has been at the forefront of community interventions for bettering women’s health and hygiene, working closely with the district administration and advocating a supportive and encouraging environment for underprivileged women. We are committed to increasing awareness on the important and sensitive issue of health and hygiene. Today, under our CSR initiatives, we are touching the lives of thousands of women and adolescent girls in the community.” Mr. Pati also expressed his appreciation towards the public representatives associated with the project, officials of district administration, health workers and members of the community for their excellent work.
BALCO implemented the menstrual awareness project in 29 villages, now reaching over 12000 beneficiaries, from the year 2019 in collaboration with NGO Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan. It aims to eradicate the various menstrual myths and make women familiar with all the aspects of hygiene and health. Under the project, a G-9 group comprising sarpanch, mitanin, councillor, anganwadi worker, cluster president of self-help group and other community members, has been formed. Members of this group play an important role in spreading menstrual awareness among the community members. BALCO has planned to set up sanitary napkin making unit and its operation will make women groups self-sufficient.
CSR Head of the Vedanta Group, Ms. Leena Vernekar appreciated the novel nature of the project and substantiated the fact that a healthy woman leads to a healthy society. She expressed her pleasure over the positive engagement of women on the topic of menstrual hygiene and are becoming aware of their health. BALCO’s interim Head – Community Development, Mr. Vivek Singh thanked the district administration for their guidance and support, which is propelling the company towards reaching out to more community members through its health management program.
Mr. Mehul Chauhan, Vice President, Sarthak Sangathan, implementing agency of the menstrual awareness campaign, appreciated BALCO’s constant support and the changes that it has brought among the women. Sarpanch of village Bela, Mrs. Jaya Rathia, and Ms. Girija Devi, Mitanin of village Padimar, who are the members of the G-9 group under the BALCO campaign, informed that the members of G-9 group, comprising of both men and women, go door-to-door to make women and adolescent girls aware about the various facets of menstruation, as well as the importance of healthy, hygiene and nutrition. Now, teenage girls and women share their concerns with health workers without hesitation.
BALCO aims at Vedanta Group’s philosophy of building a strong sustainable business community. BALCO has a strong presence in the state of Chhattisgarh, empowering the local community through its several projects in women empowerment, healthcare initiatives for women & children, youth skill development programs, and agriculture-based projects. With its several CSR initiatives, BALCO benefits more than 1.5 lakh beneficiaries in and around Korba.
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 49% by the Government of India and 51% by Vedanta Limited. Vedanta Limited is the world’s 6th largest diversified natural resources company and the largest producer of aluminium in India. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
