When people live in harmony with Mother Nature, the song of life becomes sweet.
— Amma
Many of the health and education problems that women and girls face in low-income communities can be solved by access to the right products for menstrual hygiene. Amma started the Saukhyam Reusable Pads project in 2017 under the Amrita SeRVe (Self Reliant Village) program of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, so that women and girls would have a far better, more sustainable product. Today the initiative is a full-fledged social enterprise creating jobs and strengthening rural economies.
Saukhyam was one of 75 teams chosen from across India by Niti Aayog, the Government of India's premier policy think-tank, for the Women Transforming India Awards 2021. Ms. Anju Bist, co-creator of Saukhyam Pads, received the award on behalf of the team. The previous year, Saukhyam was recognised among the top ten climate innovations in South Asia by Climate Launchpad.
The impact is significant. Over 500,000 pads sold and distributed to date are helping prevent more than 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually and have eliminated an estimated 43,750 tons of non-biodegradable menstrual waste. Reusable pads also cost, on average, only one-tenth the price of disposables and contain none of their chemicals or toxins.
Now sold in India and internationally, including Germany, the UK, USA, Spain, and Kuwait, Saukhyam reflects Amma's vision that the same high-quality pad exported abroad should also reach the most remote rural areas at affordable prices. You can support the project at saukhyampads.org.
