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8,41,221
girls and women supported
6,519
menstrual health classes
150+
districts in 25 states and 3 union territories
50+
corporate and institutional partners

As of 30 September 2026. All our programmes and partners together, since 2017: about 90,000 girls and women a year. How we count

The problem

Period poverty is real. It holds back girls and women across India in ways most of us never see.

No pad, no toilet, no one to ask, and no words for what is happening. And most girls are told to keep quiet about it.

A schoolgirl standing at the front of her classroom with a stain on her uniform while classmates look on
1 in 4

girls stay home from school during their periods

No pad, no way to hide it. So she stayed home, again.

A young woman crouching alone in a dim room, holding her head, beside a blood-stained cloth
1 in 5

young women go without a hygienic product

She stood up to answer. The class saw the stain first.

A young woman half hidden under her dupatta, watching from the shadows beside a brick wall
1 in 2

girls knew nothing before their first period

Nobody had told her. She thought she was ill, and hid.

India's figures, not ours. BMJ Open, 2016, a review of 138 Indian studies; NFHS-6, 2023-24. Rounded: 1 in 2 stands for 48%, 1 in 4 for 24%.

This is not a small problem, and it will not fix itself. It changes one school, one community and one family at a time.

Why menstrual health matters
Our story, and India's

From breaking the silence to every school

Phase one · 2017 to 2025

Breaking the silence

When Pinkishe began in 2017, before Padman reached cinemas, periods were barely spoken about in India. With a small number of other organisations, we spent nearly a decade making it a normal conversation. In January 2026, the Supreme Court recognised menstrual health as part of every girl's right to life.

Phase two · 2026 onwards

Making the right real

A right on paper is only the beginning. Every government school must now give every girl pads, safe disposal, usable toilets and the knowledge she needs, reliably. That is the work Shakti Shala was built for.

By 2047, as India turns 100, we aim to have supported 1 crore girls and women with menstrual health, in step with the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

Why menstrual health mattersWho we are
Our flagship programme

The real gap is reliability, not intent.

A vending machine installed once is not enough. Shakti Shala builds the whole system around the girl, so support does not break down.

  • Reliable access: pads that do not run out, and safe disposal
  • Knowledge and confidence: sessions for girls, and for boys
  • School ownership: a trained Saarthi and School Sakhis in every school
  • Family and community: parents and frontline workers brought in
  • Continuity and accountability: every session checked, and a live tracker for the partner

From ₹2.2 lakh a school a year, for one school, a district, or every school in it.

See how Shakti Shala works
Our work in action

Where we have worked

Three recent projects. Each sits inside Pinkishe's combined totals above, never added to them.

Shakti Shala · Completed

Nari Samman, with Indus Towers

210 government schools in five districts of Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, January 2025 to March 2026. Target 63,000 girls; reached 67,946 (108%).

About the project
Shakti Shala · Completed

Dholpur, with HDFC Parivartan

35 government schools in Dholpur, Rajasthan, each with a vending machine, a year of pads and a trained Saarthi. Monitored by BharatCares.

About Shakti Shala
PadBank programme

Kishori, with Procter and Gamble (Whisper) and CAF America

Street plays and free pads for about 40,000 girls across four districts of Uttar Pradesh.

About PadBank
Start a project with us
A word of support

Amitabh Bachchan speaks for Pinkishe

In 2019, when periods were still a whispered subject in most of India, Amitabh Bachchan lent his voice to Pinkishe's work on menstrual health. We are grateful, and we have tried to be worthy of it every day since.

Two ways to help

Where would you like to start?

Companies fund whole schools and districts. Individuals keep PadBank going in communities. And this year there is a third way, below.

For companies and foundations

Fund menstrual health in schools and communities

Shakti Shala makes menstrual health work in government schools: pads that do not run out, safe disposal, sessions, a trained Saarthi in every school, and a live tracker. From one school to a whole district.

Partner with usExplore Shakti Shala
For individuals

Help girls and women through their periods

PadBank is where Pinkishe began. It brings menstrual education and free pads to girls and women in communities, and it is funded by people like you. Donate once, or every month. Donations are eligible under 80G.

DonateAbout PadBank
A third way, opening soon

Our first issue on the NSE Social Stock Exchange opens soon.

Anchor partners are being invited now, ahead of the opening. The exchange's own disclosure stands behind every rupee.

Opening soon · Anchor partners invited

Up to 10% of your CSR can now go through the NSE. Put it into menstrual health.

NSE has approved our issue: 100 government schools in rural Chhattisgarh. Be among the first partners in.

See the issue and talk to us

Draft fundraising document approved by NSE · Registration NSESSENPO0042

PadBank, for individuals

Where Pinkishe began, and where your donation goes.

Menstrual education and free pads for girls and women in communities, beyond the school gate, and a free, confidential menstrual helpline that answers at any hour. It runs on donations from people like you.

₹1,100 gives one girl a year. Donate once, or every month.

Donate to PadBankHow PadBank works

Donations are eligible under 80G.

Why you can trust us

Checked, audited and open.

Everything a CSR committee or a donor needs to see is published, with the certificate behind it.

Registered and audited

12AB, 80G, CSR-1, FCRA and the NSE Social Stock Exchange. Audited every year since FY 2017-18.

Under 5 per cent

We work hard to keep administration under 5 per cent of our expenses. In FY 2025-26, it was 4.28 per cent.

₹0 to trustees

Three trustees hold senior executive roles, work full time, and have never drawn a salary.

5★ on Google

Rated five stars on Google by over 2,400 people.

Some of the partners who have funded our work

See all our partners and supporters

Governance and trustAll our recognitions

Doing due diligence? Ask for our due-diligence pack

Learn with us

Answers girls, parents and teachers can trust

Ovulation and period calculator

Track your cycle and see your next period and fertile days. Private, with no sign-up.

Use the calculator

Period questions answered

Plain answers to the questions girls and women ask us most.

Read the answers

A first period guide

What to expect, how to prepare, and how parents can help.

Read the guide

Menstrual helpline

Free and confidential, and it answers at any hour. For girls and women, and for anyone who cares for them.

Call 85888 70999

Latest from our blog

Young woman in a small-town Indian setting using her phone and notebook to understand her period cycle

Period Cycle कैसे Track करें? Simple Calendar और Tracker Guide

Read the article

Two Indian women in a peri-urban setting discussing ovulation and fertile days while looking at a menstrual cycle notebook together

Ovulation क्या होता है? Pregnancy Planning के लिए Fertile Days कैसे समझें

Read the article

Illustrated menstrual cycle tracker with ovulation phases and period health icons

Period Calculator क्या होता है? अपनी अगली Period Date कैसे समझें

Read the article

See all articles
Common questions

About Pinkishe

What does Pinkishe Foundation do?

Pinkishe is a specialist implementation organisation for menstrual health. We run Shakti Shala, a district model that makes menstrual health reliable in government schools, and PadBank, which brings menstrual education and free pads to communities.

Can my company fund Pinkishe through CSR?

Yes. Pinkishe is registered for CSR (CSR-1), and menstrual health falls within the areas that Schedule VII of the Companies Act allows. Your CSR committee confirms eligibility for your company, and we share our due-diligence pack before you sign.

Are donations to Pinkishe eligible for 80G?

Yes. Pinkishe is registered under 80G. Your receipt shows the details, and your tax adviser can tell you how it applies to you.

How is my money looked after?

Every payment goes digitally to a named bank account, every expense needs at least two levels of approval, and each funder's money is tracked separately in our books and spent only on the project it was given for. Our accounts have been audited every year since 2017.

Where does Pinkishe work?

Across India, since 2017, with our central team based in Delhi. We prioritise India's aspirational districts, where the need is greatest, and we work wherever a partner wants to make a difference.

How can I ask for support for a community?

Use the request form. Our team reviews every request and speaks to you.

Let us make periods one less thing a girl or a woman has to worry about.

For companies and foundations, a conversation is the right first step. For everyone else, a donation to PadBank goes straight to work in communities.

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Or write to info@pinkishe.org. Prefer to hear from us first? Subscribe to our newsletter.