No one anticipated its arrival in the next 100 years. But almost a year later, when they saw themselves relive their worst nightmare and witness hundreds wander helpless and homeless, the students of Union Christian College, Aluva, could not, not help the Kerala flood victims.
But there was a difference. Last year's floods served as a lesson, that this year, they knew exactly what people needed. So, they started a Google Pay account, for people to donate money to — specifically to buy sanitary napkins, kids' diapers and adults' diapers. The initiative was kickstarted two days back by the members of Maathrikam, the college's SFI unit's Women's Wing.
Here, all one needs to do is transfer a sum of Rs 30 to the account linked to the mobile number 9446049011. The money is used to buy the products, which are later sent to Nilambur in Malappuram district, which was hit quite badly by the floods. "Last year, when a relief camp was opened in our college, we volunteered to help the people there. Even though we had a lot of relief materials, there was still a shortage of specific items, that included sanitary napkins and diapers. So this year, we started collecting specific items," says Resitha Reji, a III year BCom student.
Why exactly is there a cap of Rs 30, we wondered. Resitha says, "A packet of sanitary napkins cost Rs 29. Even if a family pitches in an amount as small as this, it makes a huge difference to these people." At the same time, she says that a lot of people had contributed more money to their account.
She also points out that the taboo around menstruation was a cause for the shortage of sanitary napkins in many relief camps. "Most people in our college started discussing menstruation only after the Sabarimala issue. Even then, a lot of men were of the opinion that menstruation is something silly and doesn't require much attention," says Resitha. "So, we wanted to do something exclusively to help menstruating women, babies and sick adults," she adds.
