EcoFemme x Georgetown RISHI Project Scale-Up
Scale-Up
In May 2022 , Georgetown Project RISHI was awarded a second SIPS grant to scale up our successful pilot program. We bought 220 pads from EcoFemme to test the scale up in rural Ajmer and demand only increased. We then purchased and sent an additional 280 pads which our NGO partner in India, GSVS (Grameen Evam Samajik Vikas Sanstha) resold to women in rural Beawar, Ajmer during the summer of 2022. GSVS is now using the funds from selling the pads to buy more pads, ensuring a sustainable program. We provided GSVS with educational materials to train women in Ajmer to educate each other using the menstrual education curriculum that we developed in our pilot program to de-stigmatize menstruation and promote feminine hygiene and health.
Success
The success of the scale-up of our pilot program is a great development in our global health work because it addresses the challenges that women in rural India face in terms of menstrual hygiene and stigma. It is also important to note that our project used eco-friendly, low-cost products, which made the initiative sustainable and effective.
As of August 2023, 283 women in rural Beawar, Ajmer, Rajasthan have been reached and 722 EcoFemme pads have been distributed for free or sold!