$300 Sanitary Pad Distribution Plan for Marginalized Communities

Identify the Target Group

  • Work with local leaders, teachers, women’s groups, and NGOs to identify areas where access to sanitary pads is most limited.

  • Focus on rural schools, refugee settlements, urban slums, or remote villages.

Partner with Local Suppliers

  • Negotiate with wholesalers for discounted bulk purchase prices.

  • In some countries, NGOs or factories produce reusable cloth pads cheaply.

Step-by-Step Implementation

  1. Planning & Partnering (Week 1)

    • Identify community contacts and local health workers.

    • Secure supplier deals.

  2. Purchasing Supplies (Week 2)

    • Buy pads in bulk.

    • Print educational flyers in local language.

  3. Organizing Education Sessions (Week 3)

    • Partner with female health educators or teachers.

    • Topics: menstrual hygiene, pad usage, disposal or washing.

  4. Distribution Events (Week 4)

    • Deliver pads directly to schools, women’s centers, or village gatherings.

    • Use interactive Q&A to break taboos.

  5. Follow-Up (After 1 month)

    • Revisit communities to check impact.

    • Ask for feedback and explore donation drives or sustainable pad projects.

Tips for Sustainability

  • Consider training women to make reusable cloth pads locally.

  • Connect beneficiaries to long-term suppliers or free pad initiatives.

  • Combine with menstrual health workshops for boys to reduce stigma.

Key Inspiration & Best Practices

  • Africa Pads produces affordable reusable kits using local fabrics and empowers women in Malawi Africa Bags

  • Days for Girls distributes washable pad kits that last up to 3 years, tied to menstrual health education Wikipedia

  • Papyrus (Makapad) offers low-cost, eco-friendly pads made with papyrus/waste paper in Uganda

 HGC funds SHE Matters - providing sanitary pads to women in Mumbai slums

HGC works with Dia Parasrampuria, the director of SHE Matters, in Mumbai. We gave her $300 to provide menstrual pads to women and girls in the Mumbai slums.

Dia sent us this email afterwards:

With these funds you have enabled me to buy 10650 sanitary pads which will be distributed to 550 underprivileged  women all over Bombay. We are thrilled to have your support.

You truly make the difference for us , and we are extremely grateful. Your support helps to further our mission through the distribution of sanitary pads to create awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene

We have distributed pads in slums of colaba and cuff parade , the locality ghatkopar and Ambedkar nagar. To see the happy faces of these women and young girls truly touches my heart.

Goals of Dia’s Menstrual Mission - 

  1. Education and de-stigmatization of menstruation. Teaching girls what menstrual hygiene is and what to expect from it, and breaking taboos and stigmas around menstruation

  2. Making sure girls have sanitary pads

Dia also goes to schools for the poor to ensure underprivileged girls know how to use and dispose sanitary pads correctly.