“If we educate a boy, we educate one person.  

If we educate a girl, we educate a family – 

and a whole nation.”  - African Proverb

The Kanya Project is a hybrid social enterprise that enables women to produce and distribute

affordable, high-quality, ~100% compostable sanitary napkins within their communities while

simultaneously raising awareness and sensitization of menstrual hygiene management.

 Mission Statement

In rural schools in India, menstrual hygiene education is often avoided because of the societal customs, often implemented by families, to never speak of the subject. While most people know that menses is a natural part of a woman’s body, the girls in this villages still have no idea what menses is or why it happens, they only see it as a time where they must end their schooling to stay home and work with the family because they are no longer pure enough to be a part of society.

UNICEF reports that “in countries where menstrual hygiene is taboo, girls in puberty are typically absent for 20% of the school year”. Most girls drop out at around 11 to 12-years-old, and miss school not simply because they fear being teased by their classmates if they show stains from their period, but also because they are not educated about their periods, and their need for safe and clean facilities is not prioritized.