To promote awareness and provide easy access to safe feminine hygiene products in educational institutions, Santex Products, a leading local company for sanitary and women hygiene products in Pakistan, has partnered with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi to set up vending machines carrying their Butterfly Breathable range.

This innovative idea of supplying sanitary napkins in vending machines, set up at different points in the two campuses inside female restrooms, is a first for the IBA.

The machines will not only ensure easy access of these products but will also help in respecting the privacy concerns of women on campus.

According to the World Bank, as many as 500 million women and girls are denied their right to personal hygiene globally.

In Pakistan alone, 50 percent of young girls residing in rural and underprivileged areas are forced to quit school due to lack of access to safe hygiene products and dedicated sanitation facilities.

The situation is not different in urban cities as well; most women tend to use old rags or cloths for their hygiene needs, that too for a much longer period of time than is deemed safe.

Such practices are known to carry major health risks, some of which are, urinary tract infections, vaginal infections, and toxic shock syndrome; some of these may even cause death if left untreated for long.

Despite the essential need for feminine hygiene, availability of these sanitary products in public and private institutions is rare in Pakistan.

In view of this situation, this initiative by Santex Products is answering hygiene needs of females in educational institutions and workplaces, as well as breaking stereotypes and unseating shame around menstruation.

Over the past one year, Santex Products has been working towards educating young girls and women on menstrual hygiene management via the Butterfly Outreach Program.

As a company that has been tirelessly working towards personal hygiene needs of Pakistani women for over 30 years, Santex has continuously brought innovation to its product line with the changing needs of its consumers.

For more details on products, head over to Butterfly Breathables' Facebook page.

This content is a paid advertisement by Santex Products and is not associated with or necessarily reflective of the views of Dawn.com or its editorial staff.