The Desai Foundation

Founded in 1997, The Desai Foundation is a foundation based in Navsari, India working on health, gender equality, employment & skills +3 more.

The Desai Foundation is a non-profit organisation that empowers women and children through community programmes in rural India. Its work centres on health, livelihood and menstrual equity. Programmes include the Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, which produces and distributes sanitary napkins while providing training and work for women; Heroes for Humanity, a network of trained community health workers and local leaders delivering health screenings, hygiene education, banking and livelihood initiatives; and vocational skills training in sewing, beauty, computer literacy and solar and EV skills. The foundation also runs health camps covering anaemia, diabetes, cancer, vision and gynaecological care, as well as education support and a school-based health and hygiene programme. Founded in 1997 with roots in the United States and India, it became a public programmatic non-profit in 2014 and the Desai Foundation Trust was established in 2016, headquartered in Navsari, Gujarat. The foundation reports operating in eight Indian states and across thousands of villages, with a support base in the United States, including a team in Woburn, Massachusetts. It funds its work through individual donations, corporate partnerships and in-kind support, and it holds tax-exempt status in India.