Our Programs — Ananda Foundation

Sanitary pad distribution at school in Ranchi

Health Program

Menstrual Health & Hygiene

In rural Bihar, menstruation remains heavily stigmatised. Girls miss school during their periods — not because they want to, but because they have no access to sanitary products and no one to talk to about what they are experiencing. Ananda Foundation addresses this head-on.

Led by Dr. Kamini Prasad, our health program reaches adolescent girls in government schools across Nawada district with free sanitary pads, awareness sessions, and open conversations that break the silence around menstruation.

What we do

1

Free Pad Distribution — We visit government schools and distribute sanitary pad packages directly to adolescent girls, ensuring access regardless of economic status.

2

Awareness Sessions — Interactive sessions on menstrual hygiene, body health, and when to seek medical care. Girls learn to speak openly — to each other, parents, and teachers.

3

Teacher & Parent Engagement — We work with school staff and local mothers to normalise menstruation and create supportive environments at home and school.

4

Community Health Education — Broader awareness in communities, covering hygiene, nutrition, and reproductive health for women of all ages.

5,000⁺Pads distributed to girls in schools

8⁺Government schools reached in Nawada

"The girls were shy at first. By the end, they were asking questions no one had ever asked before. That is what change looks like." — Dr. Kamini Prasad

Coverage in Dainik Jagran (Ranchi edition) highlighted our pad distribution program at Rajkiya Madhya Vidyalaya, Ranchi, where Dr. Kamini Prasad led sessions on menstrual health, hygiene and nutrition for girls and their teachers.

Next Step: Manufacturing our own pads →

Rural women at beekeeping training session

Livelihoods Program

Beekeeping & Vocational Skills

Economic dependence is one of the deepest forms of powerlessness. In Sikariya and surrounding villages, most rural women have no independent income — their financial lives are entirely mediated through their husbands or fathers. Ananda Foundation's livelihood program changes that.

We train women in beekeeping — a skill that can be practised on their own land, produces a high-value product, requires minimal upfront investment, and builds pride. Alongside beekeeping, we offer vocational skills training in areas identified by the communities themselves.

The Beekeeping Program

1

Theory & Safety Training — Women learn about bee biology, hive management, safe handling and seasonal patterns. Sessions led by trained practitioners.

2

Hands-on Practice — Women work directly with live hives, learning inspection, honey extraction and hive maintenance with protective equipment.

3

Hive Provisioning — Where funding allows, we support women with starter hives so they can begin producing from their own homes.

4

Market Linkage — We connect trained women with buyers and help them understand pricing, quality standards and basic business management.

100⁺Women trained in beekeeping

5⁺Villages with active training groups

"When a woman earns her own money for the first time, something changes in how she holds herself. Beekeeping does that — it is hers, from her land, in her hands."

Support this program →

Enterprise Program

Organic Farming & Community Products

Sikariya is an agricultural village. Almost every family farms — but most use chemical fertilisers and pesticides that degrade the soil, harm health, and cut into thin margins. Middlemen take most of the profit. The farmers who do the work earn the least.

Ananda Foundation's farming program flips this model. We train women farmers in organic practices, aggregate their produce, brand it under the Ananda name, and sell directly to end consumers. The profit goes back to the farmers — not intermediaries.

Ananda Masoor Dal — Our Flagship Product

Red lentils (masoor dal) grown organically in Sikariya — chemical-free, pesticide-free, and rich with the care of the women who grew them. Sold in 1kg packs under the Ananda Foundation brand, with a portion of every sale returned directly to the farming collective.

1

Organic Transition Training — Teaching women to farm without chemicals using compost, natural pest control and crop rotation. Better for soil, health and yield quality.

2

Collective Production — Women farm collectively on their own land, sharing knowledge and resources — reducing risk and increasing quality consistency.

3

Ananda Brand & Market Access — Produce is packaged and sold as Ananda branded products, reaching urban consumers in Bihar and beyond who want ethically sourced food.

4

Profit Sharing — Revenue from product sales is split between the foundation's operational costs and direct payments to the women farmers who grew it.

100%Organic, chemical and pesticide free

DirectFarm-to-consumer, no middlemen

Buy Ananda Masoor Dal →

Health & Welfare

Medical Camps & Community Health

Access to basic healthcare remains a serious challenge in Nawada district. Government hospitals are distant, understaffed and often unaffordable. Private clinics exist but are out of reach for most families. The result: preventable conditions go untreated. Women and children bear the greatest burden.

Ananda Foundation organises periodic medical camps in Sikariya and surrounding villages, bringing qualified doctors and health workers directly into communities. These camps offer basic health check-ups, medicines, nutrition assessments and referrals for more serious conditions.

The camps also serve as touchpoints for our broader health education work — connecting with families, identifying underserved households, and building the community's health literacy over time.

What camps typically include

1

General Health Check-ups — Blood pressure, blood sugar, basic physical examination for adults and children.

2

Medicine Distribution — Essential medicines distributed free to families who cannot afford them.

3

Nutrition Assessment — Screening for anaemia and malnutrition, particularly among women and children under five.

4

Referral & Follow-up — Serious cases referred to appropriate facilities with the foundation's support in navigation.

Upcoming Programs

Launching 2026

Pad Manufacturing Unit

Community-owned sanitary pad unit — 80,000 pads/month, 10+ women employed. See campaign →

In Planning

Organic Honey Production

Scaling the beekeeping program into full honey extraction, bottling and sales — under the Ananda brand.

Want to partner?

If you are a doctor, health worker, or organisation wanting to run a medical camp with us, we would love to hear from you.

Get in Touch →