Jhunjhunu
Within less than a year of starting production, Anandi — a sanitary pad brand – has become a household name among women of Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. Read more
Aakar is a hybrid social enterprise that enables women to produce and distribute affordable, high-quality, fully compostable sanitary napkins within their communities while simultaneously raising awareness and sensitization of menstrual hygiene management
Through the Aakar model we endeavor to break the silence around the issue of Menstrual Hygiene and provide knowledge and guidance to all stakeholders, especially Adolescent girls.
In 2013, Aakar became India’s first company to launch a fully compostable sanitary pad under the brand name “Anandi”
BY THE WOMEN FOR THE WOMEN
Today, only 24% of India’s 350 million menstruating women and girls use sanitary napkins to manage their menses.
In India, 300+ million women and girls rely on old clothes/rags and a small percent of them also use plastics, sand and ash to address their sanitation needs during the menstrual cycle.
A UNICEF Research shows that menstruation also causes 23% of girls to drop out of school once they reach puberty.
Roughly 70% of Indian families cannot afford the high cost sanitary napkins that currently dominate the market.