On May 28th, we opened our second sanitary napkin manufacturing center in the village of Untdi, Gujarat to coincide with
Menstrual Hygiene Day
. Everything about our Sanitary Napkin Program is "By Women, For Women," so it was only right that the women that make these pads cut the ribbon to inaugurate this new center.
More than 700 women & girls
from the surrounding communities participated in feminine hygiene education & were given samples of our brand new Asani pads.
We are thrilled to announce the successful launch of our very own brand: Asani Sanitary Pads - By Women. For Women. Our unique brand provides high-quality and low-cost sanitary napkins that are 90% biodegradable. The pads will be manufactured and sold through our unique menstrual hygiene initiative in rural Gujarat in order to provide education, employment, and access to women & girls in the area.
Our Sanitary Napkin Program trains women to manufacture, distribute, and sell high quality, low-cost sanitary napkins throughout their communities. This empowers girls and women to take control over their health and livelihoods and enables girls to pursue higher education beyond the onset of menstruation.
The vocational training provided through the Sanitary Napkin Program has a profound personal and public impact. The Sanitary Napkin Program also has the added effect of combatting stigma and giving women and girls a fundamental sense of self-worth and self-esteem that will empower them to pursue long-term opportunities.
We will continue to expand the program in Shantaben Vidhyabhavan in Untdi through our other centers and new centers in the region.
The Sanitary Napkin Program is one of our most all-encompassing programs and we are very excited to expand it, making waves in social and health reform in the greater region. This program gets to the core of what the Desai Foundation is all about - cultivating dignity and allowing people to #DreamBeyond.
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ation
's 20-Year Anniversary in this private hangar showcasing rare automobiles, aircraft & military vehicles.
Aft
er exploring the grounds, you will be seated for
a formal dinner emcee'd
by
Karen Anderson of WCVB
, entertain
ment,
inspiring speakers, & a live auction
benefiting
the Desai Foundation.
Announcing our Keynote Speaker
Nilofer Merchant is the author of 3 books and is
ranked by Thinkers50 as one of the world's leading thinkers. She has personally launched more than 100 products, netting $18B in sales, has worked for companies ranging from Apple to Autodesk and advises many others.
Her TED Talk "Sitting Is the Smoking of Our Generation," is in the top 10 percent of TED's most viewed talks.
This event will support the
Desai Foundation
's vocational programs for rural women in Gujarat. We offer sewing classes, computer classes, sanitary napkin making and sales programs, along with many other vocational programs to ensure that every rural woman has the opportunity to dream beyond her circumstances.
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Results Show Success at Desai Foundation's Lok Vidhyalay Higher Secondary School for Math and Science
Our science school at Shantaben Vidhyabhavan is the only one of its kind in the region, offering a rich curriculum to students hungry for a level of academic rigor and exploration that they would not otherwise have access to. We are very proud to announce that our first graduating class from the school had an exceptional graduation rate of 91%, and that our school was ranked first out of the seven other schools in the region. Furthermore, five students in the recent graduating class achieved A2 ranking, and earned a five-year scholarship from the government to study under the Inspire Program.
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Meet Jasmine Bar: Our New Intern at the Desai Foundation
The Desai Foundation is pleased to welcome Jasmine, our new intern in Ne
w
York. Jasmine is a rising sophomore at Columbia University with a strong interest in public health and nonpr
ofit management.
"The Desai Foundation's mission to empower women and children through community programs that elevate health and livelihood in the US and India really resonates with me, because of my interest in public health and my own Indian cultural heritage.
I have only been here for a few weeks, and I already feel like I'm learning so much about how to make sustainable change through innovative programming, targeted marketing strategies, and powerful communication skills."
At Columbia, Jasmine plans to major in Medicine, Literature, and Society
. Outside of academics, she volunteers as a health educator for Columbia's Peer Health Exchange, in which she teaches weekly health workshops at public high schools around New York City. Additionally, she is a dedicated dancer for Columbia Raas, the school's premier garba-raas team.
In her free time, she loves reading, doing yoga, and exploring New York City.
We are very excited to bring Jasmine on board at the Desai Foundation!
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Celebrate Your Birthday With Us!
Donate your birthday +
make a difference!
Fundraise through
Encourage your friends and family to contribute to training rural Indian women in employable skills by clicking
HERE, selecting "Become a Fundraiser," & following the instructions to fundraise.
Happy Birthday to Our First Classy Fundraisers!
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DIWALI ON THE HUDSON returns to NYC on
October 18th!
We officially open ticket sales today for our newsletter readers!
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READ our Annual Report to learn more about our programs in India & the US
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Our President
Megha Desai Nominated for the 2017 India New England Woman of the Year Award
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We were honored and humbled to attend the 15th Annual India New England Woman of the Year Awards Gala, where our president Megha Desai and 20 other inspiring women in the South Asian New England community were featured. Congratulations to Manisha Bhatt, the winner of the award, and to all the other accomplished women who were nominated.
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Support us by
'Liking' the Desai Foundation on Facebook and
'Following' on Twitter to get the latest updates about our work and events!
And check out highlights by
'Following'
us on Instagram.
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Interested in contributing your time and services to the Desai Foundation? Help is always appreciated! Click this link to be notified of upcoming opportunities!
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Because our work is intersectional and sustainable, every dollar has a great impact in creating stronger, healthier, and more engaged communities for the long-term. These are our values and we know them to be yours, too.
So join us today! And together we'll transform thousands- and one day 1 million- lives by securing their right to dream.
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If you are interested in learning more about the Desai Foundation, please visit our website:
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