Our History

Hanaru began with one woman's dream of making a positive impact on the lives of girls in India. Kayoko has made her dream a reality with hard work, determination, and tenacity, and her efforts have already positively touched the lives of thousands of people.

Born and raised in Japan, she obtained a BA in Textile Art from the Women's College of Art in Tokyo and studied Textile Design at the Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan, India. You can read more about Kayoko on our Founder's page.

In India, she witnessed women and girls dealing with discrimination from the caste system, gender inequality, and the taboos, shame, and humiliation around menstruation that had the greatest impact on her.

There was a lack of acceptance and support for menstruating females, and she found herself unable to go into kitchens or visit temples during her periods.

It became clear to Kayoko that the most important factor that allowed these girls the hope of a better life was education.

Years later, when she read that 23% of girls drop out of school when they have their first period [1], she knew she wanted to create a way to help alleviate the issue caused solely by menstruation.

Education has been identified by the United Nations as a fundamental right [2].

Many women and girls don't have access to any period protection, such as sanitary napkins, tampons and liners and have to use rags, newspapers, or leaves, all of which are unhygienic and can cause infections and genital rashes. It is common in the West for women to use the widely available disposable products. A simplistic solution could be to provide these to girls in India, but it is not appropriate, as they lack access to facilities to use them hygienically, and the used products and packaging contribute to India's waste management issues.

This charity was founded in 2019 to raise funds to expand the production and distribution of Hanaru's reusable sanitary napkins. Today, the charity enjoys enthusiastic supporters worldwide, particularly from Australia, Japan, and India. In 2020, as the Charity grew, Ambassadors (local students and graduates who recognised and supported the charity's goals) continued distributing these napkins, and subsequently ones made from fabric Hanaru purchased.

In 2014, Kayoko began what would become thousands of hours of research, design, and development to find the most suitable and durable materials. This involved testing different fabrics to find the most suitable, durable ones to use in an Indian environment. She made over 500 napkins herself, some of which she distributed to girls in India.

She initiated a training program for local women in various areas, providing them with the necessary equipment and materials to produce the napkins. The women made over 5,000 napkins from Kayoko's initial fabric purchases. The distribution of the napkins was combined with menstrual education and information on how the napkins will help the environment.

Since Hanaru was established in 2019, we have produced over 31,000 napkins and supported over 5,500 girls with packs of five or six napkins. This was made possible by the generous support of our donors and funds raised at organised events.

Ambassadors continue distributing napkins and providing menstrual education to girls along with Kaoko and our team in Kolkata.

The Ambassador Program has proved very effective, and we look forward to expanding this in the future. Our ambassadors are passionate about improving young girls' lives.

[1] 70% can't afford sanitary napkins, reveals study, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/7344998.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst, published 23/01/2011, viewed on 27/01/2024

[2] Article 28 United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text, viewed on 27/01/2024

Hanaru Women's Health Fundraising INC

ACNC Profile | ABN: 14598797167