Amazon India signs three MoUs to help nearly 500 women entrepreneurs under its menstrual hygiene program reach customers across India
• Prayatna is Amazon India’s community-focused menstrual hygiene program focused on improving awareness, expanding access to affordable hygiene products, and creating women entrepreneurship opportunities through women-led manufacturing units near Amazon operations sites.
• Through Prayatna, Amazon positively impacted over 270,000 women and girls across 130+ villages and 14 cities in 2025, with plans to reach over 400,000 women and girls in 2026.
Ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Amazon has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Pinkishe Foundation, She & WE – Women Entrepreneurship Foundation, and Vedanshi Foundation to help women entrepreneurs under its ‘Prayatna’ program expand access to affordable menstrual hygiene products by reaching customers across India through Amazon.in. ‘Prayatna’ meaning ‘effort’ is Amazon India’s community-focused menstrual hygiene program focused on improving awareness, expanding access to affordable hygiene products, and creating women entrepreneurship opportunities through women-led manufacturing units near Amazon operations sites.
The new collaborations are being enabled through Amazon Saheli, company’s women entrepreneur focused seller enablement program. With this, nearly 500 women entrepreneurs under the ‘Prayatna’ program will receive support to onboard, reach customers nationally, and grow their businesses.
Salim Rafik Memon, Director – Operations, Amazon India, said: “We believe in contributing meaningfully to the communities where we operate. Through Prayatna, we are working to improve menstrual health awareness, increase access to hygiene products, and support women-led enterprises. We are excited to collaborate with Pinkishe Foundation, She & We Foundation and the Vedanshi Foundation through Amazon Saheli. This will help women entrepreneurs expand their businesses, connect with more customers across India, and create greater impact within their communities.”
More about Prayatna: Women entrepreneurs under the program manufacture affordable menstrual hygiene products including biodegradable sanitary pads, maternity pads, panty liners, reusable cloth pads, and other hygiene essentials through manufacturing units established near Amazon operations sites. These products are currently distributed within communities and Amazon fulfilment centres to improve local access to menstrual hygiene products. With this expansion, they will now also become available to customers across India through Amazon.in.
Under the program, Amazon India currently supports three manufacturing units in Bengaluru and Hyderabad established by partner organisations. Together, these units engage around 500 women entrepreneurs across manufacturing, sales, and community awareness activities.
Prayatna combines menstrual health awareness, access to affordable hygiene products, women entrepreneurship opportunities, and responsible menstrual waste management. In 2025, the program reached more than 270,000 women and girls across over 130 villages and 14 cities in India, with plans to expand its reach to more than 400,000 women and girls in 2026.
