Fems AYA, the nationwide initiative of Fems, the feminine sanitary care brand of Hemas Consumer Brands marks its first year of impacting lives and communities by offering awareness on menstrual health and equal access to low-cost high quality sanitary napkins.

The ‘Fems AYA’ initiative was launched on the International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2021, together with Merrill J. Fernando Foundation, the Arka Initiative, Sarvodaya Women’s Movement, and Sarvodaya-Fusion. 
Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle, the State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control graced the event as chief guest. 

Throughout the past year and right through the pandemic Fems continued to create training and education for 2500 women in local communities in rural villages to plantation workers and youth. Training programmes were conducted, both virtually and in person, with the support of the project partners.

Being a progressive corporate leader, Hemas Consumer Brands was the first corporate that decided to live its purpose within the organization by implementing an in-house free distribution of Fems AYA sanitary napkins to 6700 plus employees of both genders.  

This internal distribution amongst their workforce helped further push the normalization of the conversation among their personal and professional settings. The product itself played the role of delivering access to an affordable and high-quality menstrual hygiene product, but the drive encouraged all team members to get involved in the all-important discussion on menstrual health and hygiene. 

The lack of knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene and the social stigma attached to periods hold back most people from talking about these topics openly. 

Hemas Consumer Brands believes that irrespective of gender, everyone should be able to speak about menstrual health and hygiene openly while menstrual education must be a part of society, which in turn will end the stigma surrounding menstrual health.