Horana Plantations’ She-Essentia project tackles period poverty

Horana Plantations PLC (HPL), a member of the Hayleys plantations sector, unveiled She-Essentia, a groundbreaking initiative addressing period poverty and promoting menstrual health and hygiene among women and girls in the Sri Lankan plantation sector.

The She-Essentia initiative was recognised as a winning concept by the Centre for Child Rights and Business in their Seal Challenge 2023. This project aims to support 5,292 women and girls in the upcountry cluster of estates at Horana Plantations PLC by establishing a manufacturing facility to produce sustainable, cost-effective and reusable sanitary napkins.

A fully-qualified female doctor (MBBS) was employed to lead this project and provide doorstep assistance to the female community for their menstrual health needs.

Comprehensive education on women’s health continues in an attempt to remove social stigma and cultural taboos while promoting awareness. HPL has conducted 12 sessions on menstrual health and hygiene, initially reaching 1,017 participants. Specialised women’s health and hygiene educational sessions led by medical professionals have been implemented across multiple estates, benefiting hundreds of women.

Over 570 adolescent female students participated in this programme and it is expected that this initiative will significantly reduce school dropouts.

“Sri Lanka’s economic predicament has hit every segment of society extremely hard but it has had a disproportionately negative impact on women and girls in vulnerable communities. The lack of awareness and access to menstrual hygiene products can lead to negative health, well-being, educational and economic outcomes. With our She-Essentia project, we aim to directly address these systemic issues, dismantle cultural taboos surrounding menstruation and support livelihoods in the estates,” said HPL Director/CEO Johann Rodrigo.
The She-Essentia project followed a comprehensive roadmap to ensure its success. It began with surveying and identifying beneficiaries. 

Bundled into ‘dignity packs’, which contain enough sanitary napkins to cover one month’s requirements, are reusable for up to a year and are distributed free of charge on a six-month cycle. 

“This project represents just the first step in our broader vision to extend this initiative to build a dedicated space for women as well as an e-learning centre for adolescent girls across all our estates to catch up on their education,” said Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Dr. Roshan Rajadurai.