PETALING JAYA, Feb 8 — Mohamad Farid Yusoff was a sight to behold when he emerged from the supermarket with two carts filled with sanitary pads recently.

Mohamad Farid, who works as an officer for Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto, shared a photo of himself with the feminine hygiene products on Twitter with the hopes of raising awareness about period poverty in Malaysia.

“It was the first time I’ve ever done something like this in my life.

“Of course, I was a little embarrassed, but I eventually felt brave.

“This is to help women out there during the movement control order (MCO),” Mohamad Farid wrote last Friday.

The 32-year-old told Harian Metro that he hopes to shed a light on the problems faced by women who cannot buy products to manage their periods due to financial difficulties under the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that he received curious stares at the supermarket as he walked around with 100 packs of sanitary pads, but he put his self-consciousness aside knowing that the items were going to a good cause.

The sanitary pads will be distributed to women living on the streets, single mums, and underprivileged women in Batu Kawan as part of a Chinese New Year initiative under Kasthuri’s office.

“There were individuals who have done this kind of donation before, but they were all women.

“I decided to take the initiative to do this because I know that this is a basic need for all women.

“This is just the beginning and I hope this can inspire other people, especially men, to help women who are in need,” said Mohamad Farid.

His post has been a hit on Twitter where it has received more than 1,200 likes and over 700 retweets so far.

“Good knowledge. Often people forget that there are poor folks who aren’t able to buy sanitary napkins,” said @rahah_ghazali.

“This is a great effort. Usually, feminine hygiene is overlooked when we’re giving out aid,” wrote @dayahalim1.