Fresh Anonna, DU’s Dept of Women & Gender Studies advance menstrual hygiene on campus
Fresh Anonna Sanitary Napkin (a flagship brand of Meghna Group of Industries) and Dhaka University through its Department of Women & Gender Studies (WGS) have partnered to promote the intersection of learning and social change to campus.
As part of an ongoing menstrual-hygiene awareness drive, Fresh Anonna installed sanitary napkin vending machines at the University of Dhaka and co-hosted a seminar titled “Menstrual Hygiene and Health Awareness Program” at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium.
The collaboration underscores Dhaka University’s role as a national thought leader, with the WGS Department receiving special recognition for its progressive openness in embracing such initiatives and for helping pioneer ripple effects across the wider university and other educational institutions.
Chairperson & Associate Professor Dr. Sabiha Yeasmin Rosy and Professor Dr. Sanzida Akhter emphasized that, despite progress, the most basic aspect of women’s health—the natural, beautiful biological process of menstruation—remains shrouded in taboo, and they thanked Fresh Anonna for thoughtful, practical actions that advance this cause.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Dr. Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman Khan highlighted in his remarks his hope for a sounder society where girls and women are free and confident in “very natural things,” noting that women are a gift and great contributors to building society.
He called for stronger family bonds and more open conversations—between fathers and daughters, sisters and brothers—so that stigma gives way to understanding and dignity.
Barrister Tasnim Mostafa, director, Meghna Group of Industries, stated that Fresh Anonna was founded on two core objectives: to be functional in real life and to purposefully contribute to meaningful, positive change in society—particularly in women’s basic health.
She noted that one brand alone cannot deliver all the necessary change; institutions, systems, and culture must evolve together.
She assured the audience that Fresh Anonna will continue its wider work alongside the spread of useful, convenience-enhancing infrastructure, “because a healthy woman is an empowered woman.”
Program highlights included a Menstrual Hygiene session conducted by Dr. Tajkiatul Islam Mohua and a Mental Health awareness session by Dr. Rubaiyet Ferdous, followed by an interactive Q&A and distribution of complimentary sanitary napkins. A mini-essay activity invited students to propose practical ways to dismantle cultural barriers that uphold menstrual taboos and hinder hygiene awareness.
A 2025 national study published in the Reproductive Health Journal revealed that only 28.6% of adolescent girls in Bangladesh practice good menstrual hygiene.
This finding underscores the urgent need for awareness, access, and cultural openness; issues such collaborations seek to address.
Fresh Anonna is Bangladesh’s first and only sanitary napkin brand featuring Double-Layered Advanced Absorption Technology, combining air-laid paper and ADL for faster absorption and better protection.
Through university partnerships, awareness programs, and campus vending solutions, Fresh Anonna remains committed to empowering women and normalizing healthy conversations around periods across Bangladesh so that no girl or woman misses a day of school or an opportunity at work.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
News link: https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/394480/fresh-anonna-du%E2%80%99s-dept-of-women-gender-studies