Pratibhaa, Chennai: Chennai has taken steps forward in promoting reproductive health education. In an innovative step to increase awareness about menstrual hygiene among girls in Tiruvadanthai village - about 30 Km from Chennai - for the first time, a sanitary napkin-vending machine has been installed in the village high school.

Most girls used to skip school on the days they got their periods. "We used to go home earlier during such times," said a student, P Mohana.

"Now after this machine has come, there is no such problem. Our attendance is good," she added. Assistant Head-Mistress at the Nemmeli High School, Bhanumathy, corroborates this. "They (students) used to take leave for those two or three days.

Now they're coming to school regularly and are using sanitary napkins," she said. In a village like Tiruvadanthai, where the use of sanitary napkins has still not caught on among adolescent girls, such a vending machine - which has been installed by a private company that has adopted the school - are a godsend.

A student, R Sita, says, "If you buy it in shops, it is expensive and we felt embarrassed to buy them. Now, it's just a matter of dropping a coin and taking the pad."

This simple idea has not only helped reduce absenteeism in the school, but has also increased the girls' awareness about personal hygiene.