The Enactus team from Jamia Millia Islamia, India, won the Enactus Race for Climate Action Impact Competition held during the 2022 Enactus World Cup with their project Shrimati. Shrimati advances progress against the climate crisis while also improving the lives of Indian women through development of an eco-friendly reusable sanitary napkin created from natural banana and bamboo fibers, as opposed to plastic materials found in many traditional female hygiene products. The students will receive $20,000 in project scaling funding from Race for Climate Action sponsor Intuit.  Additionally, the second place team will receive a $10,000 award from Intuit.

During a five-minute virtual presentation, the team from Jamia Millia Islamia outlined the scope of Shrimati, which advances multiple solutions through its business model. The Shrimati operation eliminates plastic from the environment through the manufacture of reusable and biodegradable sanitary pads, reduces “period poverty” (the economic hardship experienced by low-income women trying to afford menstrual products), and increases female hygiene education. The pads, made from natural materials, have a lifespan of twelve months, and the team has already reduced 4,620 kilograms of plastic waste in the past six months through their distribution. Additionally they have employed 78 low-income women from across India in the manufacture of the pads, providing wages to a marginalized group. Furthermore, the students from Jamia Millia Islamia have partnered with various NGOs to distribute 5,500 pads along with education to combat the stigma of menstruation prevalent in some Indian communities, proof positive of their declaration that, “At Enactus JMI, we believe in being the change by bringing the change.”