PAST WORK
India 2023
In the summer of 2023, Anoushka and Aditi Jha of the Shakti team visited and volunteered at a tribal village school in Palghar, Mumbai. Kasturba Gandhi Girls School is a residential school that houses 120 orphan girls. Before our work there, the girls were using cloth pads which severely limited their participation in sports, educational activities, and day-to-day projects. These also resulted in pelvic infections due to poor hygiene. We installed four sanitary pad dispensing machines and incinerators in two of the bathrooms in the school. This has impacted 120 girls over the last few months by giving them sanitary options during their periods and thereby helping them participate in school and community activities. Through our fundraising, we have been providing money for refills of the pads in the machines. Our goal for this upcoming year (2024) is to install four more pad dispensing machines and incinerators in the other two bathrooms of this facility.
South Asian Women's Network MN
In the fall of 2023, the Shakti team held a stand at a South Asian Women's Network (SAWN) event. We were able to connect with many other projects and women and learned a lot. We had the pleasure of meeting Saraswati Singh and received valuable advice.
Minneapolis Public Schools District
In honor of MLK Day, we organized a period product drive for the Minneapolis public school district.
2024 National Youth Leadership Conference
Aditi, Indra, and Anoushka presented their past work to other leaders, young and old. They also got to attend classes taught by professionals.
Dominican Republic 2024
In the summer of 2024, Shakti member Indra Khariwala traveled to a rural village in the Dominican Republic for a week of service. While there, she met with the community and provided them with period kits.
India Trip 2024
In July of 2024, Indra, Anoushka, and Aditi traveled to rural Palghar to continue their previous work. In the summer of 2023, they instilled dispensers and incinerators in 2 of the 4 bathrooms, and this summer, supplied the remaining bathrooms with products. While there, they saw other issues such as malnutrition and have gained even more ideas for the future. The girls have many goals to someday leave their village, and so, Shakti is also now working to support them in gaining access to local resources. This is because ultimately the goal is for them to continue the work Shakti has started with accessibility and education. The girls were very happy to see everyone and once again invited their visitors to partake in their tribal dance.
Field Trip to Pune
During the Shakti team's trip in the summer of 2024, the girls shared that they had never left their small town and had dreams of seeing more of India. So, Shakti sponsored a field trip for them, allowing them to spend a night in Pune, getting to eat out and see the city! They had so much fun and wish to see even more of the world!