Periods Don’t Pause During Conflict — With Rs 245, Help Women in Poonch Get Reusable Pads
When conflict erupts, headlines often focus on the immediate — lives lost, homes destroyed, families displaced. But behind each of these headlines is a quieter crisis that rarely gets spoken about.
In Poonch, where 13 civilians were killed and dozens injured during recent shelling, families have been forced to flee their homes. In such moments, survival becomes the only priority. Food, shelter, medicine — all take centre stage. But for women, something as basic as menstrual hygiene quietly slips through the cracks.
In this urgent moment, two organisations — ‘Pad Squad’ and ‘Fabpad’ — have come together with a shared mission: to support 5,000 women in Poonch with sustainable, safe, and dignified period care with their ‘Together for Poonch’ campaign. Click here to do your bit.
According to a study published in the journal BMJ Global Health, “approximately 6,91,300 women and adolescents (across the world) now face serious challenges in managing menstruation, especially with war-associated stress, increased menstrual abnormalities, and the lack of remedies made available in response to their escalating needs.”
‘Together for Poonch’ aims to support 5,000 women with menstrual hygiene kits.
We sat down with Monica Raheja, co-founder of Pad Squad, and Dipesh Dhelia, CEO of Fabpad, to understand what this campaign means to them — and how you can contribute towards this cause.
The people behind the mission
Pad Squad, a volunteer-led collective based in Mumbai and Pune, has been working since 2020 to normalise conversations around menstrual hygiene across underserved communities. With over 70 volunteers in more than 30 cities, they have distributed eight lakh menstrual hygiene products — from flood-hit Assam and Bengal to tribal belts and urban bastis.
“I was following the news around Poonch, and the stories of civilians being displaced from their homes broke my heart,” shares Monica. “When I saw social media pages mobilising help for families in Poonch, I knew Pad Squad had to do something.”
These cloth pads are reusable for up to four years or 100 washes, making them a long-term, eco-friendly, and cost-effective solution.
Fabpad, a Kolkata-based menstrual hygiene brand, manufactures affordable, reusable cloth pads and creates livelihoods for women from economically weaker backgrounds. Since 2020, it has supported over 20,000 women across India through awareness campaigns and outreach, and enabled more than women to earn through roles in production, distribution, and education.
“When Pad Squad told us about the situation in Poonch,” says CEO Dipesh Dhelia, “we knew this was our chance to serve the community, yet again.
Pad Squad and Fabpad go way back — both were founded in 2020 and have worked together on several awareness campaigns. Poonch’s menstrual hygiene initiative is the latest chapter in this partnership. The campaign — Together for Poonch: A Humanitarian Urgency, A Menstrual Health Mission — went live on 19 May 2025, with one message at its heart: Every Pad Matters.
And you can extend a helping hand from wherever you are.
How you can help Poonch women
Fabpad and Pad Squad aim to support 5,000 women in conflict-hit Poonch.
Target: Rs 12,25,000
For just Rs 245, you can support one woman with:
- 3 regular reusable cloth pads
- 1 maxi pad for the night
- 1 travel/wash bag
- 1 multilingual instruction manual
The kits will be couriered directly from Kolkata by Fabpad to Poonch, where two Pad Squad volunteers will lead distribution on the ground. Local youth organisations have also expressed interest in supporting the effort. The courier cost is included in the Rs 245 donation.
Scan the QR Code or follow the link to do your bit. It starts at just Rs 245
Online donations:
Fabpad has set up a secure Razorpay gateway. You can click on this link or scan the above QR code. It’s simple, quick, and 100 percent of your donation goes to the cause.
Offline support:
You can:
- Email info@fabpad.in
- Call 9874221113
- Or DM Fabpad and Pad Squad on Instagram (@fabpad.in and @padsquad)
Neither organisation takes a margin from the donations. In fact, for every 25 kits donated, Fabpad is adding one more.
What’s in the kit — and why it matters
Sustainability is a key concern when it comes to menstrual hygiene. Disposable pads, though common, are non-biodegradable and hard to access in conflict zones.
Dipesh shares, “One kit contains four cloth pads — three regular pads for the day, one maxi pad for the night and one travel or wash bag with an instructions manual. We have kept in mind that the manual should be printed in the local language, along with English and Hindi instructions.”
These cloth pads are reusable for up to four years or 100 washes, making them a long-term, eco-friendly, and cost-effective solution.
Monica highlights, “With the support of local volunteers in the Kashmir Valley, Pad Squad plans to conduct menstrual hygiene awareness sessions. We will help women start conversations around menstrual hygiene and how it directly concerns their health, mobility and self-worth.”
Spread the word
Even if you’re not able to donate, you can still support the cause by sharing it.
A dinner table conversation, a WhatsApp message, or a post on Instagram — every share helps the campaign reach someone who may be able to contribute.
With over 70 volunteers in more than 30 cities, Pad Squad has distributed eight lakh menstrual hygiene products
Let others know how they can be part of this mission — one pad, one woman, one story at a time.
In crisis or calm, standing together is the first step toward healing. Every pad matters. Every voice counts. Every contribution makes a difference.
Donate now.
Edited by Khushi Arora; All images courtesy Fabpad and Pad Squad
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