Gender sensitive public spaces gain ground as Vyomini expands menstrual hygiene access through SWABHIMAN

Vyomini Social Enterprise, led by Prachi Kaushik, said its SWABHIMAN initiative is working with Delhi Police, the Women and Child Development Department, National Small Industry Corporation Limited, and civil society organisations to make police stations, shelter homes, and public dealing offices more gender sensitive, with more than 10000 menstrual hygiene vending machines already installed across India.

Efforts to make public institutions more responsive to women’s everyday needs are taking shape through SWABHIMAN, a menstrual hygiene initiative led by Vyomini Social Enterprise under the leadership of social entrepreneur Prachi Kaushik.
Timed around International Women’s Day and this year’s theme, Give to Gain, the programme is focused on improving dignity, health, and workplace support for women in uniform by expanding access to menstrual hygiene facilities and awareness.

Vyomini Social Enterprise said the initiative has been conceptualised and executed in collaboration with Delhi Police, the Women and Child Development Department, National Small Industry Corporation Limited, and civil society organisations. The programme is aimed at making workplaces more gender sensitive by strengthening sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in police stations, shelter homes, and public dealing offices.
As part of the initiative, sanitary napkin vending and disposal machines were installed at the Special Police Unit for Women and Children, SPUWAC, Nanakpura, along with a menstrual health awareness session for women police personnel. The programme also allocated 50 machines for women shelter homes, Nari Niketan, and homeless centres, along with free sanitary napkins.

Vyomini said what began as a small intervention addressing an often overlooked workplace need has now expanded into a wider movement. According to the organisation, more than 10000 sanitary napkin vending machines have already been installed at different locations across India. It also noted that 25 vending machines and incinerators were recently installed in Vadnagar to improve access to menstrual hygiene products for women in public spaces.
The initiative has been conceptualised and led by Prachi Kaushik, Founder and Director, Vyomini Social Enterprise. The organisation said her work over the past two decades has focused on addressing menstrual taboos and building women led social entrepreneurship ecosystems across India.

Prachi Kaushik, Founder and Director, Vyomini Social Enterprise, said, “Menstrual health is not just a health issue; it is a dignity issue, it is matter of Primary Health. Women police personnel work tirelessly to protect society, yet many workplaces still lack basic menstrual hygiene facilities. Through SWABHIMAN, our goal is to ensure that women in uniform feel supported, respected, and empowered at their workplaces.”
Vyomini said Prachi Kaushik has educated more than 3 million women on menstrual health and enabled more than 2,00,000 women to work as entrepreneurs across India, helping create sustainable livelihoods while addressing community level challenges. The organisation also said it has established India’s first incubation centre for sanitary napkin production, enabling women from underserved communities to become manufacturers, distributors, and menstrual hygiene educators.

The broader idea behind the initiative, according to the organisation, is that strengthening women at the grassroots creates wider gains across communities by improving health outcomes, supporting local economies, and advancing gender equality.
Vyomini said the SWABHIMAN initiative reflects the spirit of the Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, by investing in women’s health, dignity, and awareness while also making institutional workplaces more inclusive and supportive. The organisation added that its larger vision is aligned with achieving SDG 5, 6, 8 and 12 in India before 2030.
Through partnerships with institutions, communities, and women leaders, Vyomini Social Enterprise said it is continuing to use grassroots innovation and social entrepreneurship to build long term change in public systems and in women’s lives.

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