What began as a class project at MIT has taken a life of its own in India as a full-on startup, with the aim of bringing one million affordable, biodegradable, sanitary pads — made of banana fiber — to rural women in India. Saathi Pads started out as a design for a sanitary pad machine in Amrita Saigal’s senior design class at MIT in 2012 — the idea was to create a blueprint for a low-cost method of manufacturing sanitary pads, to promote access to the product for women across India. The subject of menstrual health, so long taboo in India, has experienced rising awareness in very recent years. Current estimates say that  88% of menstruating women  in the country are forced to use homemade alternatives such as rags, newspapers, wood shavings, even ash, due to lack of menstrual awareness and access to products. A Saathi Pads workshop in Ranchi, India. Photo courtesy of Saathi Pads. Saathi Pads estimate rural girls miss up to 50 days of school a year as a result ...