About us
Students who saw a gap, and decided to close it.
Hera Health Initiative is an emerging nonprofit initiative based in the Bay Area and Tri-Valley Area of California, led entirely by young people.
Our story
From one donation drive to a movement
Our work began in 2025 as a personal response to the lack of menstrual products in local shelters. What started as a single donation drive grew into community drives, student-led chapters, and art-based awareness campaigns against period poverty.
Along the way we noticed a second, quieter gap. While some organizations provide basic health services, very few address the specific cultural and religious sensitivities required when discussing menstruation and sex education with women from traditional backgrounds, including Muslim and Jewish communities. Period poverty also remains a hidden issue in suburban areas, affecting low-income families and displaced populations.
Hera Health Initiative was established to bridge both gaps at once, ensuring that cultural background is never a barrier to understanding one's body or accessing necessary hygiene products.
Our mission
To provide essential menstrual support and products to women in need, and to deliver culturally aware, sensitive health education tailored to women of diverse backgrounds.
Our vision
A Tri-Valley and Bay Area where every woman has the products she needs and the knowledge she deserves, offered with dignity and respect for who she is.
Our approach
Why we partner instead of build
To maximize impact and minimize overhead, we form strategic partnerships with existing local 501(c)(3) organizations and use their infrastructure to distribute products and host our educational programs.
Dignity first
Period products are a basic need, not a privilege. We distribute them discreetly and without judgment.
Respect for culture
We adapt to each community's guidelines around modesty, language, and faith instead of asking communities to adapt to us.
Transparency
Donors deserve to know exactly how funds become products and programs. We report it plainly.
Youth leadership
We're students who saw a gap and acted. We believe young people can lead real change in their communities.
Our team
Meet the leadership
A student-led team based in the Tri-Valley.
- T
Tanushri
Chief Executive Officer
Drives the overall vision, strategy, and mission of Hera Health Initiative, and leads partnerships with local 501(c)(3)s, civic leaders, and donors.
- D
Deepa
Chief Operations Officer
Manages day-to-day operations, including purchasing, storing, and distributing menstrual products through our partner network, and keeps program events running smoothly.
- M
Manvi
Chief Finance Officer
Oversees the budget, financial planning, fund allocation, and compliance, and ensures transparency in how every dollar becomes products and programs.
- R
Ria
Chief Outreach & Social Media Officer
Develops campaigns, manages our digital presence, and leads community engagement with careful, culturally sensitive messaging that breaks down stigma.
- A
Ariana
Secretary
Manages materials for starting new chapters, tracks regional affiliation agreements, and maintains leadership rosters across our growing network.
- ?
This could be you
Web Designer · Open role
Design and maintain the website, user interface, and digital donation platform, with an eye on accessibility and security.
Make a difference today
A box of pads shouldn't be a luxury. Help us make sure it never is.
Your gift buys menstrual products in bulk and funds workshops that meet women where they are. Because we work through partner organizations, almost every dollar goes directly to products and programs.