Origins and
Objectives
We Are
OUR MISSION
The Pad Project is a global nonprofit that expands access to menstrual care products, combats period stigma, and champions menstrual equity for all.
OUR APPROACH
Access
Lack of access to affordable, safe and effective menstrual products is a global problem. The Pad Project learns from our nonprofit and social enterprise partners and then funds a variety of programs to meet the needs of different individuals and communities.
Our goal is to help each partner to provide adequate menstrual health solutions to the people they serve, which, according to a globally accepted definition, requires “complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in relation to the menstrual cycle.”
Agency
The Pad Project’s international programs utilize a social enterprise model. Instead of simply distributing products, these programs employ women from the community in making and selling menstrual products.
Our programs also involve implementing menstrual health workshops, all of which are co-created and run by our partners to fit the needs of their community members.
Advocacy
The Pad Project believes that educating people about menstruation is a necessary part of the menstrual equity movement. We created the documentary Period. End of Sentence. to raise awareness about period poverty, and we’ve included menstrual health education as a key component in all of our international programs.
We are also committed to using education to debunk myths about menstruation and combat menstrual stigma around the world.
OUR VALUES
INCLUSIVITY
At The Pad Project, we are dedicated to supporting all girls, women, and people who menstruate. We want our fight for menstrual equity to be inclusive of all identities who experience menstruation, including cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, and genderfluid individuals. However, we as an organization are still learning and growing, and we welcome all feedback. If you see a way for us to be more inclusive, let us know at info@thepadproject.org!
COLLABORATION
The Pad Project isn’t alone in the fight for menstrual equity. We partner with nonprofits and social enterprises in the US and internationally to make sure our programs fit the individual menstrual hygiene needs of each community where we work. We also founded the Ambassador Program to connect and engage menstrual equity activists around the globe.
OUR ORIGIN STORY
In 2013 eight high school students and their teacher founded The Pad Project because they believed “a period should end a sentence, not an education.”
What began as a documentary film project highlighting a single village has expanded to an organization with global reach. In 2019, that documentary film, Period. End of Sentence., won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, and since then, The Pad Project has continued to grow.
We’ve placed 9 pad machines in 2 countries and are working to place 7 more pad machines in 4 countries. We’ve launched 8 washable pad programs in 6 countries and are working to launch another washable pad program soon! In the U.S., we’ve started two programs to combat period poverty: Pads for All and Pads for Schools. So far, we’ve partnered with 10 NGOs and grassroots organizations in 8 states and 5 schools and school districts in 4 states to provide menstrual products to those in need. We also launched The Pad Project’s Ambassador Program, which is designed to unite menstrual equity activists around the world!
1,003,500+
Menstrual products provided across the USA
400+
Ambassadors across the globe
12
Operational pad-making machines in Afghanistan, India, Kenya, Nepal, & Sri Lanka
450,000
Pads produced through International Programs
486,000+
Menstrual products provided
112,000+
Girls and women reached with menstrual health education workshops
20
Menstrual programs supported across 10 low and middle income countries
What We Do
International Programs
14 partners in 9 countries
US Programs
With 64 partners in 50 states and D.C.
Ambassador Program
400+ Ambassadors from 44 countries
Meet the team
behind the movement
OUR STAFF
Melissa Berton
Co-Founder/Executive Director
Los Angeles, California
Melissa Berton
Melissa Berton, Executive Director and Co-founder of The Pad Project, recipient of the 2019 Eleanor Roosevelt Global Women’s Rights Award, and Academy Award winning producer, was recently named to Forbes 50 Over 50 list, Dreamers & Doers: Women Making Social Impact. A lifelong advocate for girls and women, Melissa has taught English at Oakwood Secondary School in Los Angeles for over a decade. She has thrice served as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, leading the largest student delegation from a single high school. In 2013, following that first U.N. trip, Berton inspired her students to produce a documentary to raise awareness about menstrual health and education worldwide, leading to a 2019 Oscar win for Best Documentary Short Period. End of Sentence. With her students, she also co-founded The Pad Project, a global non-profit organization dedicated to the idea that “a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” The newly released book, Period. End of Sentence.: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice, with foreword by Berton, outlines universal menstrual challenges and the solutions being championed by a new generation of body positive activists.
Sorelle Cohen
Sr. Director of Development, Marketing & Communications
Los Angeles, California
Sorelle Cohen
Sorelle Cohen was born and raised in Los Angeles, and she is passionate about fighting for social justice and advocating for universal human rights. She graduated from the University of Southern California where she received a B.S. in Public Policy Development with an emphasis in non-profit and social innovation. She is the Sr. Director of Development, Marketing & Communications for The Pad Project, a non-profit dedicated to ending period stigma and empowering women worldwide. Sorelle is a Coro Women in Leadership alumna and a recipient of The Beverly Hills Living Magazine 40 under 40 inaugural class awards for her commitment to philanthropy.
Anu Jain
Director of Operations
Los Angeles, California
Anu Jain
Anu has worked in Finance and Marketing at IBM, Apple, and Siemens for over 15 years. She also served on the board of Indians for Collective Action in Silicon Valley, California. As a Tax Auditor, she was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award for reducing a tax assessment by over three million dollars. A lifelong passionate advocate for societal equity, Anu joined SAHARA as the Director for Outreach and Data Management to further its mission on domestic violence. In 2016, she joined Barefoot College International and started programs to help women reach their full potential, fulfill their aspirations, and transform their communities via economic, social, and environmental impact. These programs have collectively reached out to over 10,000 women in 32 countries and won the 2022 WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education) Award. Anu holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology and a Master of Business Administration from San Jose State University in California.
Payal Tiwari
International Programs Coordinator
Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh
Payal Tiwari
Payal was born and raised across India and holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She is an advocate for equal rights and opportunities for women with an intersectional perspective. At The Pad Project, she works as a Program Coordinator in the International Programs team. Payal loves long walks in nature and is utterly delighted petting animals and sighting wildflowers.
Tanya Mahajan
Strategy Specialist, International Programs
New Delhi, India
Tanya Mahajan
Tanya has over 10 years of experience in market development of health products and services in low-income settings. She has led research and program evaluations on the intersection of health, gender and WASH through her work at PATH and Development Solutions. Tanya is the co-chair of the Menstrual Health supplies workstream at the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and the co-founder of the Menstrual Health Alliance India and has done extensive work on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) research and advocacy in India and globally. Her work on MHH has spanned user and supply side research on the market landscape, advocacy on harmonization of product standards, technical support for program design and implementation and mentorship to start-ups in the MHH eco-system. Tanya holds a Bachelors in Economics and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Finance.
Rachel Gingold
Fundraising Strategist
Los Angeles, California
Rachel Gingold
Rachel Gingold was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduation from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Sociology and Certificate in Technology, Arts and Media, Rachel started a career working in Nonprofits. Rachel has previously worked for Friends of The IDF (FIDF), American Friends of Sheba Medical Center and the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO).
Nicolette Harutunian
Director of U.S. Programs
Los Angeles, California
Nicolette Harutunian
Nicolette Harutunian serves as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at The Pad Project where she oversees the operations and growth of the Ambassador Program. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Nicolette was drawn to the field of international development as a means of creating impact within the education sector. Her previous experience with program development, human-centered design, and social entrepreneurship led her to The Pad Project where she works with students from all over the world to push the menstrual equity movement forward. Her favorite part of her job is witnessing the creativity and personal development of students come to life when working on social justice-themed projects they are passionate about. Nicolette can be found with her film camera in hand, exploring the streets and eateries of Los Angeles, when not working with students through her role.
Chloe Azorsky
Marketing and Brand Strategist
New Orleans, Louisiana
Chloe Azorsky
Chloe Azorsky graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Marketing, Management Consulting, and Fine Arts. Passionate about fusing creativity with activism, she harnesses design to cultivate The Pad Project’s brand and marketing strategy. In her free time, you can find Chloe exploring nature, throwing clay on the pottery wheel, or walking dogs at her local shelter.
Jayna Gandhi
Marketing Coordinator
Toronto, Canada
Jayna Gandhi
Jayna was born and raised just outside of Toronto, Canada. She is the Marketing Coordinator for The Pad Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending period stigma and empowering women worldwide. She leverages the power of design and strategy to advocate for human rights and menstrual equity. Since joining The Pad Project in 2022, she has been inspired by the global conversation about menstruation sparked by the Academy Award-winning film, “Period. End of Sentence.” A city girl in the winter and a cottage girl in the summer, Jayna can be found trying new restaurants in downtown Toronto or swimming in Georgian Bay!
Noa Oranim
Lead Youth Speaker & Fundraiser
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIRS
Melissa Berton
English Teacher, Writer, Speaker
Anissa Siegel
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Artist
Anjana Sivakumar
HR Advisor, Apollo Global Management
GENERAL MEMBERS
Ariana Abadian-Heifetz
Menstrual Health Expert & Leadership Consultant, KONU
Bonnie Abaunza
Social Impact Producer, Human Rights Activist
Bria Gadsden
Menstrual Equity Advocate & Social Impact Strategist
Candace Clark Trinchieri
Author
Lisa Taback
Vice President of Awards & Talent Relations, Netflix
Michaela Carter
Author
Nicole Jain
Education Policy Advocate and Advisor
Stacey Sher
Film Producer
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Cat Ferrier
Supriya Garikipati
Director, UCD Centre for Sustainable Development
Andrea Gruber
M.Div.
Samantha Moray
Founder, MORAYGENCY
FOUNDERS BOARD
Sophie Ascheim
Strategic Partnerships Coordinator, Yale University ’23
Carly Gatto
University of Michigan ’22
Alden Sabah
Scripps College ’22
Ruby Schiff
Kenyon College ’21
Avery Siegel
Community Outreach Coordinator, Tulane University ’21
Charlotte Silverman
Brown University ’22
Claire Sliney
Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator, University of Pennsylvania ’21
Helen Yenser
Scripps ‘17, University of Southern California MFA ‘19, Cinematic Arts
