Building networks and relationships to strengthen and promote the compostable menstrual pad production in Nepal

Start Government Communication Early: Engaging with local and national government bodies from the start builds transparency and reduces resistance later. Officials are more likely to support projects they’ve been informed about early.

Hiring Local Staff Builds Legitimacy: Local team members understand the administrative landscape, cultural norms, and informal power dynamics. Their presence facilitates smoother government relations and enhances community trust.

Visit Similar Factories First: Seeing how others operate—especially those working with sanitary pads or similar machinery—helps avoid design flaws, underestimate space needs, or miss critical compliance steps.

Secure and Legalize Land Before Construction: Ensure land ownership or lease agreements are clear, registered, and aligned with zoning laws. This avoids legal disputes and delays during setup.

Plan for Road and Transport Access: Factories must be reachable by road for raw material delivery, machinery transport, and product distribution. Poor access increases costs and reduces efficiency.

Understand Local Regulations in Detail: From building codes to environmental clearances and import duties—every step must comply with national and local laws. Delays often stem from missed details or assumptions.

Expect Bureaucratic Delays in Importing Materials: Importing machinery or raw materials—especially from India—often involves shifting regulations, unclear timelines, and repeated follow-ups. Strong documentation and regular contact with customs officers are essential.

Get Insurance Coverage in Place Early: Insuring the factory and its assets protects against financial losses from fire, burglary, or natural disasters. It also improves your credibility with investors and partners.

Budget for Legal and Administrative Costs: Legal setup involves more than expected—permits, taxes, certifications, and consultations. Having a buffer for these costs prevents interruption in critical phases.

Evaluate Surroundings Carefully: Avoid building too close to sensitive sites like schools or densely populated areas. A peaceful coexistence with neighbors supports long-term operations.

Legal Compliance Unlocks Institutional Partnerships: Government contracts, school distribution, and institutional sales require formal recognition. Being fully registered and approved enables new opportunities and funding.

Start by Listening to Local Actors: Health workers, teachers, ward officials, and community leaders bring grounded knowledge of social norms, barriers, and opportunities. Gathering perspectives across all operational levels builds a clearer picture of the landscape, leading to better-informed decisions and more effective design.

Community Engagement Builds Ownership: When local stakeholders are involved in decision-making—not just implementation—solutions gain legitimacy, traction, and long-term support. It takes time, but that investment pays off. People are more likely to champion the work and even take on responsibilities when they feel their input genuinely shapes the outcome.

Partnerships Multiply Reach and Relevance: Working with NGOs, schools, and health posts expands your impact and ensures that interventions reflect local realities. These partnerships don’t just support delivery—they open space for dialogue. Through regular exchange, new ideas emerge, unexpected opportunities arise, and your approach stays responsive to real needs.

Trust Is Slow but Foundational: Local trust is built through presence, follow-through, and consistency—not one-off meetings. It also depends on information flow: partners need time to learn about each other’s goals, values, and working styles. Only with that mutual understanding can genuine, lasting collaboration take root.

Tailor Communication to the Audience: Different levels of partners require different approaches—from informal conversations to formal MOUs. A clear communication strategy helps ensure the right tone, tools, and timing. Each partner is different, and taking time to understand their expectations and preferred ways of working allows for more effective, respectful collaboration.

Be Transparent About the Project Stage: If you're still prototyping, say so. Honesty earns respect—even when things aren’t perfect. Being open about key challenges builds credibility and trust. It invites dialogue, creates space for joint problem-solving, and helps manage expectations among partners and stakeholders.

Co-creation Outperforms Top-Down Models: Collaborative design takes time, but it leads to stronger partnerships, deeper user ownership, and better outcomes. When community members and local partners help shape the process from the beginning—not just implement it—they’re more invested and more likely to stand by the work long-term. Co-creation surfaces insights that top-down approaches often miss, and it builds mutual accountability that strengthens resilience when challenges arise.

Women’s Organizations Amplify Impact: These groups bring deep community roots, lived experience, and credibility—especially when working on sensitive topics like menstruation. Their networks open doors that others can’t, and their long-standing presence builds trust faster. Collaborating with women-led or women-focused organizations strengthens outreach, ensures gender-sensitive approaches, and adds critical insight to both program design and advocacy.

Global Learning Adds Value, Not Blueprinting: Engaging with global peers offers inspiration, shared strategies, and insight into what works elsewhere—but direct replication rarely fits. Local realities vary, and blindly applying external models can lead to failure or rejection. Instead, meaningful learning comes from adapting global lessons to your specific context, guided by local knowledge and needs.

National Networks Are Catalysts for Alignment: Being active in national platforms (like MHMPA Nepal) connects your work to policy dialogues, strengthens your credibility, and creates opportunities for joint campaigns, learning, and influence. These networks help keep the project relevant and resilient within a shifting national context.

Tailor Your Approach to the Audience: What works for students won’t work for government officials. Each group requires different messaging, tone, and format. Customizing your approach shows respect and improves results.

Clarity in Mission Strengthens Partnerships: When your message is clear and consistent, people understand what you stand for and how they can contribute. This clarity helps build s3tronger, more aligned collaborations.

Start with Trusted Local Connections: Partnering with locally embedded actors—such as NGOs, nurses, or teachers—helps deliver your message through trusted channels and speeds up acceptance.

Informal Touchpoints Build Stronger Ties: Some of the most important conversations don’t happen in meetings. Informal chats, community visits, and shared moments build trust that formal settings often can’t.

Be Transparent—Including About Challenges: Sharing ongoing obstacles (not just successes) increases credibility, invites support, and helps partners adjust expectations. People are more willing to help when they see honesty.

Strong Communication Attracts Allies: Well-crafted materials and a compelling narrative not only help change minds—they attract donors, institutions, and volunteers who resonate with your cause.

Women-Led Voices Strengthen Legitimacy: Including women—especially those directly affected—in messaging and delivery increases authenticity, trust, and relevance.

Consistency Builds Identity: Using consistent language, visual style, and values across all channels creates a recognizable identity and strengthens your organization's public image.

Two-Way Communication Improves Outcomes: Listening is as important as speaking. Actively seeking feedback from the community and partners helps refine your messaging and makes people feel heard.

Situating Menstrual Health in Broader Narratives Helps: Framing your work within broader agendas—like education, youth empowerment, or climate resilience—makes it more relatable and easier for others to support.