Vikalpani works with rural women, including women farmers, female labourers in tea, rubber, sugarcane, and banana plantations, as well as with rural school children and teachers, to promote sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). Vikalpani has identified critical gaps in access to SRH facilities in schools and plantations, such as toilets, sanitary napkins, washing facilities, and private spaces. The issue of period poverty, intensified by recent taxation and the ongoing economic crisis, has further worsened these challenges. Discriminatory cultural and social norms have also limited access to accurate knowledge about SRHR. In response, Vikalpani provides education and awareness programs for rural women and girls to improve and transform their understanding and empower them to claim these rights. Additionally, Vikalpani advocates for the recognition of how climate change impacts women’s SRH, particularly through prolonged exposure to sun, rain, and extreme weather conditions while working in farmlands and plantations. Vikalpani is also conducting research, documentation and advocacy on the harmful effects of pesticides and agrochemicals on women’s sexual and reproductive health. Through these efforts, Vikalpani strives to bring the lived experiences of rural women into local, regional, and global policy discussions, emphasising the need to integrate gendered and intersectional perspectives.
