Name: How I started a sanitary napkin revolution!
Uploaded: 2012-11-13T16:38:09Z
Duration: 9 min 4 s
Description: When he realized his wife had to choose between buying family meals and buying her monthly "supplies," Arunachalam Muruganantham vowed to help her solve the problem of the sanitary pad. His research got very very personal -- and led him to a powerful business model. (Filmed in Bangalore as part of the TED Global Talent Search.)

When he realized his wife had to choose between buying family meals and buying her monthly "supplies," Arunachalam Muruganantham vowed to help her solve the problem of the sanitary pad. His research got very very personal -- and led him to a powerful business model. (Filmed in Bangalore as part of the TED Global Talent Search.)

How I started a sanitary napkin revolution!

A simple act to help at home sparked an affordable sanitary pad revolution. After realizing his wife had to choose between milk and menstrual supplies, one man spent years inventing a machine rural women could use to make pads themselves. Only two percent of women in India used sanitary pads, while most relied on unhygienic alternatives. By making the technology open and accessible, the movement has reached hundreds of communities and inspired change worldwide.