Non-profit brings awareness to feminine hygiene disparities in underpiveleged communities

Bringing awareness to feminine hygiene disparities

Two high school students are hoping to bring awareness of feminine hygiene disparities in underprivileged communities through their non-profit called 'A Fresh Start For Girls'. FOX 7 Austin's Jessica Rivera has the story.

AUSTIN, Texas - Two high school students are hoping to bring awareness of feminine hygiene disparities in underprivileged communities through their non-profit.

The backstory:

When starting A Fresh Start For Girls, Sanjana Shresta thought about how she could make a positive impact on the lives of young girls in underserved communities.

In 2023, Shresta decided to start the non-profit after visiting India and noticing young girls around her age struggling to afford feminine products. 

When she returned home to the U.S., she noticed girls at her high school also faced that struggle. 

So, with the help of mentors and friends, she was able to start A Fresh Start For Girls in hopes of helping empower girls.

It's an organization that's dedicated to reducing feminine hygiene disparities in underprivileged communities within the Round Rock area for now and as well as promoting positive mental health within these communities.

What they're saying:

"I was able to establish a club based on the mission of my organization at our school to be able to motivate more youth volunteers to help join our cause and to spread more awareness of our cause especially," Says Shresta.

"And we also have had the privilege of donating to the Round Rock ISD FIT center, which is an organization at our school that helps underprivileged students and homeless students with providing them with supplies such as food, clothes, school supplies and of course hygiene products," Shresta adds.

By the numbers:

Many homeless centers accept personal hygiene products like toothpaste and deodorant, but often feminine hygiene products are forgotten.

In Texas, women accounted for about 37% of the homeless population served by the Texas Homeless Network. In 2023, that number remained consistent.

Since starting the non-profit in 2023, the girls have been able to raise over $7,000 and distributed supplies to more than 1,000 girls through partnerships with organizations like H-E-B, Costco, and local community centers. They recently collaborated with Shesupply and Texas Diaper Bank to join hands and to reach communities in need across Texas.

What you can do:

Now they're not able to raise the money themselves, during Thanksgiving break while many high school students are taking a break from school, they will be raising money for their non-profit to give back to those in need.

To learn more about how to help or donate, you can click here.