Menstruation is Natural. Period.
It’s 2023 and more than 300 million Indian women still don’t have access to sanitary pads. Desperate to change this, three Delhi University students launched Project Aarogya.
Back in 2019, while educating Project Aarogya’s first cohort of women in the infamous Shastri Park slums of Delhi, we identified our first ever entrepreneur – Ganga didi. A woman of steel, as we like to call her, she had spent most of her life with no access to a toilet let alone sanitary napkins. But she wanted to change this for herself and other women battling similar hardships.
Ganga didi was fully involved in our workshop and had a lot to share with us. By the end of it, she was ready to drive our mission of transforming mindsets and pivoting the project into a sustainable and impactful business – of the women, by the women and for the women. Her four-year long journey, however, wasn’t an easy one.
Going with the flow
As resilient as she may have been, Ganga didi had to battle a lot of social stigma being imposed mainly by the patriarchs of the society she belongs to. On the other hand there was also a price-sensitive rural market that was not willing to spend on monthly menstrual cycles. Arranging resources in a rural area was a different story altogether. But Ganga didi traversed with us – one step at a time.
She went door-to-door with us to understand the needs of the women and tailored her approach on a case-by-case basis. She helped us conduct market surveys to analyse the target audience, meticulously study demand analysis and undertake expansions. She worked her magic as we watched her turn potential threats into opportunities.
Ganga didi wanted to create a conducive environment where periods were no longer burdensome for women. In association with Project Aarogya, she took the conversation around menstrual hygiene beyond four walls.
She facilitated planning sessions with gynaecologists for women to openly talk about their problems. She even took on a project of pad making and selling in her neighbourhood after learning how to manage a business efficiently. We witnessed Ganga didi transform from a breadmaker to a breadwinner of her family.
Changing mindsets and impacting lives
Ganga didi is the role model of Project Aarogya which is currently impacting 66,000+ lives by selling over 3,25,000 sanitary pads.
This journey of impact has been supported by more than 10 women entrepreneurs who stood by us through thick and thin by contributing in promotion, selling and creating demand for pads that helped us reach exponential heights.
Recognised as the Padmen of Delhi, Project Aarogya with its 3 A’s – affordability, accessibility and awareness – fosters women’s empowerment in underprivileged communities across the country. With the strong idea to pioneer the Sanitary Napkin Revolution, connect every woman around and empower everyone on our way, we are a proud family of changemakers.
The lead image at the top shows community discussions held at Shastri Nagar slums spreading awareness about menstrual health issues.
Reporting and photography have been done by Jatin Gulati, Ishita Bindra and Shubhra Jain, students of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). They work together in Project Aarogya.
