Being born into an all-women family, Sana was exposed to the biases and challenges women in Pakistan often experience, primarily due to a lack of a supportive environment. The article provides insights into the struggles that the Lokhandwala sisters experienced on their mission to eradicate period poverty from Pakistan.
Different people are motivated by different factors when starting their venture. While many are inspired to pursue their passion, make money or build their empire, some individuals are purely motivated by their quest to leave a positive impact on society. They not only aspire to give back to their communities but also to improve lives through their sheer dedication and commitment. HER Pakistan is one such youth and women-led initiative that aims to empower women and girls by ensuring access to menstrual products and raising awareness about menstruation through education, service and advocacy.
Her Pakistan was founded in May 2018 to provide access to quality menstrual products and promote awareness related to women’s menstruation-related health issues and challenges. A joint venture by the Lokhandwala sisters, HER Pakistan strives to improve the menstrual health situation of girls and women in Pakistan despite their socio-economic and geographical backgrounds.
This article provides a detailed insight into the entrepreneurial journey of Sana Lokhandwala, a menstrual health leader, gender equality enthusiast, a National Master Trainer for Menstrual Health, communications expert and a Global Shaper at the World Economic Forum. Sana initiated HER Pakistan in collaboration with her sister, Sumaira Lokhandwala, a sexual and reproductive health expert and a health management professional, with a vision to ensure period-friendly practices in Pakistan.
The Lokhandwala sisters belong to a middle-class family in Pakistan. Born in a family with four daughters and growing up in an all-women family, Sana was exposed to the biases and challenges women in Pakistan often experience, primarily due to a lack of a supportive environment.
Sana Lokhandwala acquired her formal education from prestigious educational institutes like Aga Khan school and Bahria college. After high school, she joined one of the biggest public sector universities in Pakistan, the University of Karachi, to pursue her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. According to Lokhandwala, her exposure at the University of Karachi (also known as KU) played a formidable role in helping her understand the ground realities and challenges experienced by those at the grass-root level.
Meeting individuals from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds helped prepare her for real-life challenges and made her more aware and responsible as an individual. For Sana, the university was not merely an academic experience but a life-changing experience. Her university life allowed her to learn and grow as an individual by connecting and collaborating with different people.
The beginning of HER Pakistan
After her graduation, Sana Lokhandwala started working as a journalist. She then got into communications for development and started working closely with different communities. She got an opportunity to work for the not-for-profit network of schools, where she was assigned the responsibility of meeting people in the rural settlements of Karachi to investigate why girls were dropping out of school. That’s when Lokhandwala discovered that most girls from underprivileged backgrounds were forced to drop out of school when they started menstruating.
This encounter made Lokhandwala aware of the harsh realities faced by several young girls who had to compromise their fundamental right to education because of a lack of awareness about menstrual health and access to safe menstrual products. As Lokhandwala spent more and more time with those communities, she learned about the severe consequences of girls dropping out of school. As young girls between the ages of 9 to 12 dropped out of school, they were more likely to get married off and become pregnant early. As a result, they either remain at risk of losing their child or even dying during childbirth.
She couldn’t let go of the thought that several young girls had to bear this fate simply because they did not know how to manage their periods hygienically. She realized that while for some people, this may be a non-issue as they have access to all period supplies, others cannot even manage to continue school when they are menstruating. Even those having access to pads in those deprived communities could merely afford one pad a day. Moreover, many government schools lack access to separate washrooms for female students, which adds to their struggles in managing menstruation safely.
After Lokhandwala shared these insights with her sister Sumaira Lokhandwala, they both decided to take the initiative to do something to improve the deplorable situation at hand. During the initial phase, their aim was not to initiate a full-fledged organization dealing with menstruation issues but to educate and empower women and girls belonging to the lower income strata so they could manage their menstruation healthily. During their research, the Lokhandwala sisters learned about the issue of period poverty worldwide, primarily in the developing part of the world. They started holding awareness sessions related to healthy menstrual practices in the underprivileged areas of Karachi.
Challenges
A significant issue they encountered during the initial days was the lack of support. Since discussing menstruation is still taboo in Pakistan, they expected backlash and security risks while conducting these sessions. However, they were able to build great support. They would conduct a session at one woman’s house, and other women from that neighbourhood would attend the session. During the session, the male members supporting the HER Pakistan team would stand outside the house to ensure their safety.
The initial sessions changed Sana’s views about what she wanted from her life and to what extent she was ready to give to HER Pakistan. She took a gap from her full-time job. She conducted awareness sessions in multiple neighbourhoods, schools and institutes to educate the masses about the challenges women encounter at schools, workplaces and in carrying out everyday duties, primarily due to a lack of support, awareness and governmental initiatives to ensure women’s menstrual health.
After the initial phase of conducting awareness campaigns, and distributing free menstrual products in deprived communities, Sana and Sumaira Lokhandwala registered HER Pakistan as a social and private organization in 2019. They started to collaborate with international organizations and donors to further their cause.
In 2019, they started Puberty programs for schools, where they educated multiple stakeholders, including parents, teachers and students, about the issues faced by menstruating women and the steps to ensure safe menstrual practices.
They also created an online Facebook community known as ‘Oh my period,’ which later achieved the status of an award-winning online community. The online community provided a platform for cultural exchange and a safe and non-judgmental space where women could discuss their menstruation-related health concerns and challenges and seek guidance from other group members.
In 2020, HER Pakistan had to stop the on-ground activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, from their focal person in different communities, they found that women in local communities experienced a severe shortage of period products during the pandemic.
Even under normal circumstances, many women and young girls are deprived of affordable and hygienic menstrual products. However, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the already challenging situation, especially for women from lower-income households. People from lower-class households could barely afford food on their tables, so buying period products became a luxury many could not even think about.
In addition, the supply chain of sanitary products was disrupted due to the sudden closure of factories. As a result, most of these women resorted to using damp cloths or other unhygienic means. HER Pakistan realized the challenges of women from lower-income strata and donated menstrual products to lower-income areas of Karachi during the pandemic.
Moreover, HER Pakistan did not only play its part in ensuring that women had access to safe menstrual products during the lockdown but constantly advocated the need to pay attention to women’s menstrual health. According to Lokhandwala, in developing countries like Pakistan, few people realize that access to menstrual health products is inextricably linked to women’s health and empowerment. HER Pakistan constantly raised their voice against the lack of policies to deal with menstrual health issues in the country.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HER Pakistan distributed menstrual cups to the frontline healthcare workers who worked tirelessly to save lives. Frontline healthcare workers had to wear PPE throughout their working hours to protect themselves from contracting the virus. As a result, managing periods became even more challenging for them. HER Pakistan played a significant role in ensuring a convenient and safe menstruation cycle for these healthcare workers by donating menstrual cups.
During the pandemic, HER Pakistan also created Pakistan’s first animated series on spreading awareness about menstruation. The three-part series Fatima & Baba incorporated the local context so the masses could relate to it, and the discourse on menstruation could be normalized.
Future plans
Her Pakistan continues to partner with small-scale NGOs, national and international partners and schools to spread awareness and ensure a period-friendly Pakistan. Their plans include developing and implementing the ‘Period at School Program.’ The primary aim of this program is to educate teachers and build the capacity of teachers and school authorities. Training the school management will help them ensure that they have all resources, such as proper washrooms, dustbins and a safe environment so that menstruation no longer remains a hurdle in promoting girls’ education.
Another initiative HER Pakistan is currently working on is ‘Menstropreneur.’ As part of this plan, they aim to train the local community women to create high-quality reusable pads. This initiative can go a long way in solving the lack of access to menstrual products. Also, because the country lacks a proper period waste management system; therefore, the reusable pad initiative can help solve this issue. Besides, empowering local women to create pads will promote employment for women in underprivileged communities. Last but not least, HER Pakistan also plans to develop evidence-based programs in collaboration with international platforms.
While there is a long way to go before countries like Pakistan can be declared period-friendly, HER Pakistan has played a crucial role in busting the myths surrounding menstruations and overcoming the stigma attached to it. Young entrepreneurs like Sana and Sumaira Lokhandwala are examples for the future generation of women who wish to create an impact and bring a positive change in society.
Sana strongly believes and proves through example that if you are passionate about making a difference, you must listen to your inner voice and follow your passion, despite all odds, and everything else shall fall into place.
