What is the name of your organization?
The Desai Foundation
What is the name of your solution?
EmpowerHer: Sangini Program
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Breaking menstrual stigma and combating period poverty in rural India by harnessing the power of AI
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
India
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
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What specific problem are you solving?
Two-thirds of India's population lives in rural areas, with over 60% being women and children. These demographics face severe obstacles in accessing basic health services, especially those related to menstrual and reproductive health. This lack of access is further exacerbated by a lack of accurate information about health issues and how to maintain proper hygiene and nutrition.
The state of women's health in rural areas is particularly dismal, with over 60% of women and girls experiencing high rates of undiagnosed cervical cancer, indirectly caused by poor menstrual hygiene and period poverty. The rate of period poverty, i.e., lack of access to safe and hygienic period products, accurate information about menstrual health, and related facilities (such as underwear, soaps, toilets, clean running water) in certain states of the country is as high as 70%.
The stigma and prevailing period poverty further hinder women and girls from pursuing an education or livelihood, thereby affecting their overall health and well-being.
What is your solution?
Our Asani Sanitary Napkin Program employs local women to manufacture high-quality, low-cost biodegradable pads for others in their community. These women, called Sanginis, are the pillars of menstrual equity on the ground and often the first person that local women and girls turn to for questions and support.
To further strengthen the impact of their work, we aim to harness the power of AI to create a user-friendly mobile app to support Sanginis in tracking inventory, identifying districts with rampant period poverty based on an evolving criterion, and tailoring educational content to be used in our awareness sessions/workshops based on regional needs assessments and local contexts.
This app will enable Sanginis to access real-time data, streamline logistics, and connect with women in remote areas more efficiently. It will also serve as a platform for feedback and learning, ensuring the program evolves in response to community needs.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
The solution serves not just the local women across 8 states in rural India that we employ in our Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, but also over 2.2 Million+ (and counting!) women and girls across rural India that rely on this program for access to safe and hygienic period products and accurate information about their health.
Women and girls in rural India are unable to pursue meaningful employment or an education due to several factors, one of them being getting their period and being viewed as being of "marriageable age". School absenteeism rates due to period poverty in rural India are at a staggering 40-50%: i.e., once a girl reaches menarche, 1 in 10 girls in rural areas will either permanently or temporarily drop out of school. Not completing their schooling greatly limits their livelihood options, social circles, and overall physical and emotional well-being as well, making their entire world be limited to their family, husband, and husband's family.
