Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of Soumya Dabriwal

Soumya Dabriwal, a Generation17 Young Leader, co-founded Project Baala in 2017 after observing that girls in India and Ghana frequently missed school due to lack of menstrual education and hygiene resources. The social enterprise trains local women as "Baala Bosses" to deliver health education and distribute reusable feminine hygiene products, addressing barriers to education and economic participation. The initiative aligns with the UN Global Goals for quality education, health, gender equality, and decent work.

Project Baala combines community workshops with open dialogue to dismantle cultural taboos around menstrual health. Initially, Soumya developed a prototype using household materials after identifying the absence of affordable, sustainable products. The organization has since trained over 4,500 Baala Bosses, engaged more than 10,000 men to challenge stigma, and distributed 5.1 million reusable period products through 260 grassroots partnerships.

Technology has been instrumental in scaling Project Baala’s reach, enabling online training for Baala Bosses and digital data collection to measure impact. Social media connects the organization with women and girls globally, while platforms like the Baala Action Lab partner with universities to advance women’s health research and policy. Soumya emphasizes that technology has allowed the team to scale solutions beyond what would have been possible otherwise.

By 2030, Soumya aims to expand Project Baala’s impact to 10 million women and girls worldwide through product innovation, education, and technology-driven solutions. The initiative’s long-term goal is to render itself obsolete by ensuring women and girls have the knowledge and resources to thrive independently. Soumya continues to lead the organization, driven by the belief that lasting change must originate within communities.