~Schools and Villages to have sanitary napkin dispensers and napkin manufacturing machines installed ~
Mumbai, July 2021: With an aim to strengthen women’s health in rural areas, Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF) has conceptualized and implemented the Menstrual Hygiene Management Programme across 7 locations. To facilitate this program, ACF has partnered with Häfele, the Global Interior Fittings Specialist from Germany, and together they will extend support to these rural locations through the installation of Sanitary Napkin Making/Dispensing Machines together with educative initiatives to spread knowledge about menstrual hygiene and breaking the many myths and stigmas around it.
In rural areas, menstrual hygiene management and anemia have a huge impact on the overall development of girls. Sharing her views on the issue, Ms. Pearl Tiwari, Director & CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation said, “Menstrual hygiene is a matter of public health. The main challenge is to address the shame, taboos and several myths attached to periods and menstrual hygiene. We need to work dedicatedly by identifying gaps and creating awareness to bring effective behavior change in not just women but in the whole society. Male members of the community also have a crucial role to play here, thus, increasing knowledge and awareness for male members is also a part of this MHM program.”
Talking about Häfele’s contribution to this initiative, Ms. Padma Gupta, Director - Human Resources & Customer Experience, South Asia said, “We believe in creating partnerships that make a difference to society. We are really happy to be associated with this public health cause and I am hopeful that our collaboration with Ambuja Cement Foundation will take their menstrual hygiene management program to the next level, by imparting sanitation education and support among young girls and women in rural areas.”
The purpose of the activity is to strengthen women and adolescent groups with building capacities and sustained support towards improving four pillars of menstrual hygiene management:
1. Access to knowledge and information
2. Access to menstrual absorbents
3. WASH structures and maintenance
4. Access to safe disposal

ACF will facilitate biodegradable sanitary napkin-making machines which will be installed through rural women federations where maintenance and output will also be monitored. Sanitary napkins will be manufactured by village SHGs under ACF’s income generation and livelihood project. Vending machines and incinerators will be installed in the schools and common points for easy access at various locations.

About Ambuja Cement Foundation:
Established in 1993, Ambuja Cement Foundation is a grassroots pan-India implementing organization that harnesses the power of partnerships –between communities, Government and other like-minded corporates and NGOs – to help solve pressing community problems and to foster prosperity. For almost 3 decades, ACF has created a significant impact. A full-fledged Research and Monitoring Unit, along with numerous external, independent studies show significant change – in income levels, health indicators and overall harmony and happiness. Our work has spread beyond our core villages, and by working hand in hand with like-minded organizations, we aim to significantly impact the pressing issues currently inhabiting our country.

Häfele India:
Häfele India is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Häfele Global network and has been operating in India since 2003 under the leadership of Mr. Jürgen Wolf (Managing Director). The ability of the company to understand the diverse Indian market has made it an authority in the field of architectural hardware, furniture and kitchen fittings and accessories. The company also has a strong presence in synergized product categories namely Home Appliances, Furniture Lighting, Sanitary and Surfaces catering to the focused demand from these industries. The subsidiary has a strong nationwide presence with offices in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Cochin. It has full-scale operations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with Regional offices and Design Showrooms in both countries; and has also spread its operations to other regions of South Asia including Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.
Häfele India services its customers with a base of over 1300 employees, a well-networked Franchise base of over 130 shops along with over 1000 dealers situated across South Asia. The subsidiary has a sophisticated Logistics center in Mumbai along with distribution centers in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Colombo respectively.