About Gramalaya

Gramalaya, founded in 1987 by Padma Shri Awardee Mr. S. Damodaran has been working for the past four decades to ensure good health, safety, dignity, and privacy for women and children through water, sanitation, and menstrual hygiene initiatives,. As a National Key Resource Centre of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, Gramalaya has developed and demonstrated successful models of community-based water and sanitation initiatives across India. Gramalaya envisions a society where everyone has access to clean water, safe toilets, and menstrual hygiene management facilities. Through our work in homes, schools, and communities, we empower people to lead healthier and more dignified lives.

Gramalaya has been at the forefront of promoting Menstrual Hygiene Management in South India, addressing the lack of awareness and access to safe products among adolescent girls. Our impact includes the construction of 1,200+ adolescent girl-friendly toilet complexes and the renovation of 180+ community toilets, alongside the large-scale promotion of eco-friendly reusable cloth pads. Over the last eight years, Gramalaya has reached 20,00,000+ women and girls, supporting their transition from unhygienic practices to safe, eco-friendly alternatives. We have distributed more than 8,00,000 reusable cloth pads, reducing dependence on single-use sanitary napkins and contributing to environmental sustainability. Gramalaya has also been a pioneer in the menstrual health space, organizing India’s first National Summit on Menstrual Hygiene Management in 2019, New Delhi. Since then, we have successfully conducted four national-level summits, each growing in scale and impact.

Gramalaya pioneered India’s first menstrual waste-free village and has declared 250+ villages in South India as role models for sustainable menstruation. A great example is Pudukkottai District in Tamil Nadu, one of the most economically backward districts, which now stands as a role model for menstrual hygiene and environmental preservation. In this district, we have conducted large-scale MHM education programs in schools and colleges, trained 11,000+ teachers and Anganwadi workers through Training of Trainers (TOT), and mobilized 2,000 volunteers across 13 blocks to spread awareness about safe menstruation practices.

Our innovations, such as the SMART toilet concept and the promotion of eco-friendly menstrual products, have been showcased at national platforms like India Water Week. Gramalaya’s work is not just about addressing sanitation or menstruation—it is about shaping a national movement for sustainable, inclusive, and dignified practices that empower women and girls. Looking ahead, Gramalaya plans to scale up its operations across 10 states in the next five years, aligning with the Government of India’s initiatives such as Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharath Mission. Our focus on MHM and nutrition programs aims to propagate a vision of a plastic-free environment and sustainable menstrual hygiene practices.

We invite you to join us for the 5th MHM India Summit, with the strength of NGOs, medical professionals, policymakers, CSR leaders and youth networks, we aim to reshape perceptions, policies, and create sustainable solutions for menstrual health. Together, we can educate, empower, and support adolescent girls and women to overcome menstruation-related health challenges and ensure sustainable menstrual products are affordable and accessible for all.