New phase of the SNAPs menstrual hygiene project launched in 25 tribal villages in Odisha

March, 2026

With funding support from the Monsoon Trust and in partnership with the Advocacy Project, Jeevika has launched a new 6-month SNAPs project in February 2026, aimed at improving menstrual hygiene in 25 tribal villages and 10 schools.

Schoolgirls attentively listen to a session on proper sanitary pad usage, fostering awareness and education in personal hygiene.

Project Overview

To improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM), access to affordable sanitary products, and health outcomes among tribal women and adolescent girls in 25 villages of Daspalla through community-led production, awareness, and distribution systems.

The overall objectives of the project are to:

• Reduce the number of Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) being experienced by women and girls in the tribal villages

• Reduce school absenteeism among adolescent girls during menstruation.

Our approach:

• Establish a sustainable community-based sanitary napkin production hub managed by a Self-Help Group (SHG), providing an additional income stream for the women involved.

• Increase accessibility and affordability of sanitary napkins for village women and girls by local production of high quality sanitary napkins through the SHG .

• Strengthen the community capacity by involving community members (ASHAs, AWWs, teachers, and SATHI clubs) in the project and supporting them to act as MHM champions.

• Ensure regular menstrual hygiene education sessions are available for all adolescent girls and women.

• Provide environmentally friendly disposal facilities for used sanitary napkins in villages and schools.

• Provide support, education and access to healthcare for women suffering from RTIs.

Women making sanitary pads at home.

This project is about more than pads or toilets; it is about dignity, choice, and voice for tribal women and girls. Over the next six months, we hope that every session held, every packet produced, and every conversation started will chip away at silence and stigma, and replace them with knowledge and confidence. With the steadfast support of the Monsoon Trust, the Advocacy Project, and village institutions, we believe Daspalla’s communities can build a model of community-led menstrual health that is owned by women, sustained locally, and worthy of being replicated far beyond these 25 villages.