Change to Cup: Kerala’s Devagiri College champions menstrual health with free cups for all

Kozhikode: The women students of Devagiri St. Joseph’s College in Kerala's Kozhikode no longer need to worry about sanitary pads during their periods. In a move aimed at promoting menstrual health and eco-friendly practices, the college union has distributed menstrual cups to all female students for free.

The campaign, titled Change to Cup, encourages students to attend college confidently during their periods while promoting menstruation as a natural, healthy, and eco-friendly process. With this initiative, St. Joseph’s College has become the first campus in the country to distribute 1,100 menstrual cups at no cost to its students. Kozhikode MP M K Raghavan inaugurated the distribution during a brief ceremony held at the college.

"We were constantly thinking about how to better support a campus where 80 percent of the students are women," said N K Rahul, Chairman of the College Union. "After many discussions, we arrived at this decision, which is part of our women’s empowerment initiative. By providing menstrual cups and educating students on their use, we are starting a larger movement," he added.

As part of the initiative, experts conducted awareness sessions on the proper usage and benefits of menstrual cups. While some students expressed initial apprehension about using the cup for the first time, most saw it as a positive and empowering choice.

"We faced numerous challenges in achieving our goal, especially since 80 percent of our campus population is female. However, we worked hard to fulfil all our promises and sought out sponsors to support this initiative," said P K Akshara, a student at the college.