Our Mission
To foster a democratic and equitable living environment, where all vulnerable people, especially underprivileged children and women, have access to education, health, sustainable livelihood opportunity, and essential infrastructure services irrespective of their economic and social status.
The Need
According to research, over 80% of women in India do not use sanitary napkins and with the Covid-19 crisis, this number has gone down rapidly.
The Solution
Basic menstrual awareness and easy accessibility of low-cost high quality sanitary napkins at the village level by involving women in production and supply channels.
Our Impact
• 60% of the women in the target villages will be aware of menstrual hygiene. • 200 employed women will improve their living conditions. • Improved knowledge among various stakeholders like SHGs, Anganwadi workers, Asha Workers, government departments etc.
Celebrate Dignity for All with Pledge Your Period
At first, the Gram Vikas Trust thought there was no way girls and women would take to social media to tell stories about their first periods. But as education, dignity, and confidence grew in a small town in Gujarat, the local women and girls surprised us.
Two years ago, the Gram Vikas Trust held an awareness campaign about menstrual health and hygiene in the tribal village of Fulwadi, Gujarat–the village project village of Gram Vikas Trust.
“We had all these signs laid out on tables, saying things like ‘Happy to Bleed,’ ‘Proud to be a Woman,’ and ‘Proud of my Womanhood,” remembers Ramesh Kasondra, Voluntary Founder & President of the Gram Vikas Trust. “I looked at those signs and I thought, ‘Nobody is going to hold these signs up. We’re in a tiny little tribal village where no woman would talk about her period. But by the end of the campaign, the women and girls were so confident and proud that they posed for pictures with these signs. It blew me away. I thought to myself, if these girls in this little tribal village can hold these signs and pledge their periods, then we ought to be able to do that, too.”
Pledge your period is a month-long initiative sponsored by Gram Vikas Trust, Bharuch. This awareness and fundraising campaign strips away the stigma surrounding periods by encouraging people around the world to post pictures and videos on social media, telling stories of encouragement and shared experiences, and “pledging their periods” by donating to the Organisation.
This organization partners with Give2Asia, a US-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, to accept donations in the United States. By supporting this cause through Give2Asia, the full amount of your gift qualifies as a charitable contribution for federal tax purposes. Give2Asia is a Platinum-rated charity on GuideStar and has a 20-year track record of successful grantmaking to nonprofits in Asia. You can learn more about how we support overseas charities at https://give2asia.org/