Soumya Dabriwal is a member of Generation17, a Samsung and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnership empowering young people who are contributing to the Global Goals.
Since 2020, the initiative has supported Young Leaders worldwide with Samsung Galaxy technology, mentorship and networking opportunities to amplify their stories and solutions.
Soumya Dabriwal was 21, volunteering as a math teacher in villages in India and Ghana, when she noticed a pattern she couldn't explain. Girls were absent from class far more often than boys — even siblings from the same household, where the brother would show up while his sister stayed home.
When Soumya asked, no one would answer why. The reality hit her when students warned her not to drink water in the heat because the school had no toilets. It quickly became clear: without basic facilities, girls had no choice but to skip school during their periods.
She began researching and found that around the world, girls lacked health education, support and resources to stay in school and achieve their dreams. “I was extremely frustrated and disappointed. It felt unfair that biology was restricting girls from attaining their full potential,” Soumya says. “Instead of waiting for someone else to take action, I became obsessed with wanting to solve the problem.”
Tech-Enabled, Women-Led
In 2017, she co-founded Project Baala, which means “young girl” in Hindi, a social enterprise addressing menstrual hygiene and reproductive health access through innovative solutions. The mission is to advance the UN Global Goals for quality education (Goal 4), good health and well-being (Goal 3), gender equality (Goal 5) and decent work and economic growth (Goal 8).
Community workshops are at the heart of Baala's approach, combining education with open conversations that help break long-standing taboos.
Soumya began leading workshops where girls learned about their bodies and health. But education alone wasn't enough. Without access to affordable, sustainable feminine hygiene products, girls were still missing school. Since nothing on the market met their needs, Soumya created a prototype using materials she found at home, turning a simple idea into a solution that today reaches millions of girls.
Next, she and her growing team began training local women to deliver health education and feminine hygiene products. Known as Baala Bosses, these women earn an income, often for the first time, while helping support their families and gaining confidence as community leaders.
Technology has played a critical role in Baala’s growth. Social media connects the organization with women and girls around the world, while online training enables Baala Bosses to learn and share knowledge wherever they are. Digital field data helps the team measure its impact and continuously strengthen its programs. "Technology has really helped us scale and reach people we wouldn't have been able to otherwise,” says Soumya.
Over the past eight years, Baala has trained more than 4,500 Baala Bosses, reached 1.8 million women and girls, engaged more than 10,000 men to help break the stigma around women’s health and distributed 5.1 million reusable period products through more than 260 partnerships with grassroots organizations.
Soumya and the Baala team meet at their Delhi office to review insights from the field and plan future initiatives.
Building a Movement for Women’s Health
Building Baala wasn’t easy. Soumya recalls obstacles at every level, from convincing people to take a young female founder seriously to confronting long-held cultural taboos. Those experiences only reinforced her belief that lasting change had to come from within communities themselves.
Today, Baala Bosses are leading change in their own neighborhoods by educating families, creating opportunities for others and inspiring the next generation. “Women who once kept their faces covered now walk with their hair flying, speaking openly about this topic,” Soumya says. “Some become community leaders. Some become entrepreneurs. Some become health mobilizers. Some become teachers."
Participants gather for a photo following one of Baala's community workshops in northern India.
Advancing Women’s Health, Rights and Opportunities
Soumya, now 30, dreams of continuing to expand Baala’s impact. By 2030, she hopes to reach 10 million women and girls around the world through product innovation, expanded education and technology-enabled solutions.
To make that vision a reality, her team launched the Baala Action Lab, an online platform that partners with universities to advance women's health worldwide. The initiative combines academic research with real-world evidence to inform better policies and investments in women's health.
Soumya says the ultimate measure of success will be the day Baala is no longer needed — when women and girls have the knowledge, opportunities and support they need to thrive on their own.
Until then, she keeps showing up.
