A Look Back for our 5th Birthday
A little belated but no less heartfelt, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate Sanitree’s 5th birthday. A big moment for a small enterprise, we felt it was important to reflect on how we got here and look forward to what’s to come.
Sanitree was founded in 2017, when Edinburgh University student Bharat set out to tackle period poverty in his hometown of Bhind, India. After getting it off the ground and establishing a short pilot project in Madhya Pradesh, it was brought to Jaipur in 2019. By chance encounter, another Edinburgh University student who was visiting the city struck up conversation with Ishu Shiva, a yoga teacher, social entrepreneur, and soon-to-be Sanitree’s trailblazing managing director. Ishu, born and raised in Jaipur, had herself seen and experienced the stigma surrounding menstruation growing up, the hushed voices and awkward silences that often accompanied these conversations. She had worked as a menstrual health educator distributing single-use pads and observed the need for a more long-term solution that was both sustainable and accounted for cultural barriers. Ishu thus very quickly embraced Sanitree’s mission and in collaboration with Edinburgh Uni students, set out to establish a branch in Jaipur. The team recruited 10-12 Beneficiaries to what would become the Her Shakti Center and began production on our reusable, organic cotton pads. They began meeting local government ministers, setting up extracurricular classes for the Beneficiaries’ personal development, and engaged in community outreach across Jaipur, selling pads at markets across the city. The team realized that before getting sales, they needed to start conversations. They first focused on reaching out to those who didn’t use any menstrual products at all and spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene. Promoting Sanitree at fests and exhibitions where people could see and feel the pads and talk about their use was hugely successful in allowing women to feel comfortable purchasing them. They would also link with beauty parlors and small women-led shops where women could feel safe asking for the pads. These initiatives and the focus on the Beneficiaries’ holistic development quickly made Sanitree a reputation both at home and in Edinburgh.
Ishu engaging in community outreach
From these early beginnings, this small but mighty social enterprise has come a long way. We are proud of what we’ve achieved these past few years. In 2020, we were at the forefront of the campaign to pass the Free Period Provision bill, making Scotland the first country in the world to make period products accessible to all. In 2021, our team got the opportunity to attend COP26 in Glasgow and we organised the first ‘Roundtable of Legislative Champions for Period Dignity,’ which hosted speakers from across the world. In Jaipur, we debuted our reusable pads at the International Literary Festival, and earlier this year, Ishu participated in India’s UN Global Compact Network 6th Gender Equality Summit. Lastly, and very excitingly, Sanitree’s story was told in the graphic novel We Mean Business: 20 Women Entrepreneurs, 20 Stories. Being able to share our story, values, and goals, plus be featured alongside these inspiring women, was a huge honour for all of us at Sanitree.
“My biggest learning has been this: you need to know what works for you and its impact on others before gauging what sells…Enterprises are for people — we have to be able to connect with them and build relationships through our ideas and products. Empathy is key.”
Ishu holding the graphic novel ‘We Mean Business: 20 Women Entrepreneurs, 20 Stories’
And we did indeed take a moment to celebrate these accomplishments. In Edinburgh, we had a boogie at our Heavy Flow fundraising club night, managing to make £1,500. In Jaipur, though not technically celebrating 5 years, they rightfully took the opportunity to celebrate anyway. Decorating the centre, opening it up to the community, and holding a potluck with the Beneficiaries brought the women together and created a space for them to celebrate their hugely meaningful work.
Heavy Flow club night
Yet we are also looking forward to what’s to come and are confident in our belief in Sanitree’s potential to continue growing and generating meaningful, tangible impact. Jaipur has recently re-opened the Her Shakti Centre, with a new mural freshly painted by Sanitree’s own Daisy Whittle and Issy Poutney. The team there hopes to open up the Centre to the wider community, making it more accessible and increasing the personal development workshops for beneficiaries. In Edinburgh, the new team for 2023/2024 is up and running, with exciting new projects including the revival of Sanitree’s own podcast, Menstrual Musings.
Lastly, we’d like to sincerely thank everyone who has supported Sanitree for the past 5 years, in whatever shape or form. We would not be here without you, and together, we’re slowly but surely playing a part in the fight against period poverty as well as building a community in both Edinburgh and Jaipur. To the next 5!
