Objective: Providing an affordable, easy to use clean cloth napkin made out of waste cloth for women in villages & slums by involving urban masses primarily women and building awareness on this taboo but critical health issue.

Rationale: Women are the most marginalized in the 72% of India’s population living in rural areas. Given the poor economic status of a vast mass, a sanitary napkin for the essential biological process of menses is the last thing on the mind of most. They end up using all kinds of rags leading to widespread unhealthy practices during menses. This forms a strong connect with the prevalence of RTI and other pelvic diseases in India. The shame & silence associated with the issue makes it the most taboo subject even among women, as a vast majority face great hardships & indignity, besides health risks due to this problem.

Innovation/Effectiveness: We are using old cloth lying useless in the cities as a resource to address this important yet taboo basic need of the village & slum women and in doing so focusing on a critical gap in women’s health. The clean cloth napkins are an entry point to generate more awareness on the related health and hygiene issues. In the cities for the first time we are initiating discussion on this issue by directly involving the urban women, drawing on their instinctive empathy. The use of cloth; a material most village women are comfortable and familiar with, coupled with the reuse possibilities makes it a viable option.