2022 – 25th Year of Success, Expansion & 5 Million Impacted

Desai Foundation was proud to reach 25 years of programmatic success! They also brought its programming to the state of Odisha. They proudly impacted over 5 million people since going public in 2014 with 31 programs, produced 3.7 million Asani sanitary napkins, served 2,500 communities, and had 4,778 people attend various Desai Foundation fundraisers. Here’s to 25 more!

2021 – Heroes for Humanity is Born, Major Expansion & 3 Million Impacted

In the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Desai Foundation pivoted to address the devastating effects it was having in India by developing the Heroes for Humanity (HFH) Program with support from S.P. Hinduja Banque Privee. In its first year, the HFH program impacted nearly 3 million people with help desk services, vaccinations, menstrual health management awareness, and supply distribution. At this time, the Desai Foundation expanded to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Outside of HFH, the cumulative impact number rose to a record 3 million people!

2020 – COVID-19 Response & 1 Million Impacted

Various campaigns were implemented in 2020 to encourage international attention and action on various COVID-19 and menstrual disparities in India and beyond. These include Masks of Hope, The Bloody Truth Campaign, and more. The Desai Foundation was finding other ways to reach those who needed it most in a critical time. In this year, the Desai Foundation hit a milestone of impacting 1.4 million people with its various programs.

2019 – Expansion to Rajasthan and Maharashtra

The Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, Summer Camps, Hygiene Training Program, Health Camps, Vision and Gynecological services, and Bal Health Mala were all expanded to Rajasthan and Maharashtra in 2019.

2018 – Pledge Your Period is Born!

Pledge Your Period is an awareness campaign designed to strip away the shame around periods, helping to end the cycle of period stigma and poverty. With this campaign, which takes place across social media platforms, more than 37 million people have been reached with impactful information and stories from both bleeders and non-bleeders to normalize menstruation for everyone.

2017 – Inauguration of the Flagship Asani Sanitary Napkin Production Center

Perhaps the most notable program to date, the Asani Sanitary Napkin Program was brought to reality in 2017. This program provides women in rural India the opportunity to fulfill their menstrual product needs in an accessible way while also providing them training and providing work opportunities in the Asani facilities. In its first year, the Asani program produced 120,000 sanitary products. The Desai Foundation had already been working in Menstrual Equity since 2012, but launched this unique and transformative program, and the Asani Sanitary Napkin brand in 2017.

2016 – Inception of Desai Foundation Trust (India)

To better impact people on the ground in India, and to comply with the new regulations, the Desai Foundation Trust was born in 2016 with its headquarters in Navsari, Gujarat. Also notable in this year, the Desai Foundation started its annual Lotus Festival, implemented mobile health vans in Gujarat, and launched the Desai Foundation + IIT Gandhinagar partnership.

2014 – Desai Foundation is Born: A Public Programmatic Non-Profit

By 2014, the Desai Foundation, which at the time was in one state and 250 villages in India, made the unusual decision to pivot from a family foundation to a public non-profit in order to grow and expand its programs. They converted to a public programmatic non-profit so that we could collaborate, scale, and grow. We also narrowed our mission to focus on health, livelihood, and menstrual equity.

2011 – Commitments Made to India

In 2011, the Desai Foundation made new commitments to its programs in India, focusing on education and health. At this time, they also expanded in Gujarat from Vapi to Gandhinagar. The Desai Foundation also inaugurated Shantaben Vidyabhavan, a school that offered STEM classes for children, serving 20+ villages and over 40,000 people. The Desai Foundation’s model to pilot concepts and programs were also designed; there was a record completion in 11 months of a functional, state-of-the-art science high school.

2003 – Expansion to India

By 2003, the Desai Foundation entered Gujarat, India with a partnership with Hansa Community Development Center. This partnership helped programs launch in rural India on health, education, and livelihood. By this time, over 9,000 people were impacted by programming.