Luna | Devpost

Inspiration

The inspiration for LUNA came from recognizing how period poverty continues to affect women, even within universities. Globally, around 500 million women and girls lack access to safe menstrual products and proper sanitation, leading to health risks, missed opportunities, and social stigma. In Pakistan, this issue is equally alarming — about two-thirds of women (nearly 70 million) cannot afford sanitary products. For many, the priority remains earning enough to run households, leaving little attention to their own health and hygiene needs. Despite many university-based initiatives that empower students academically and professionally, menstrual health remains an overlooked topic. We realized that even students — future professionals and leaders — silently struggle with this necessity. LUNA was born from the need to address this gap and provide a dignified, accessible solution within university communities.

What it does

The name LUNA, inspired by the moon, symbolizes the natural cycle of menstruation and our commitment to restoring dignity, care, and consistency to women’s lives. It is a web-based platform that connects donors and beneficiaries for menstrual product distribution within university premises. Donors can contribute either menstrual hygiene products or monetary donations, which are then converted into products for students in need. Beneficiaries fill out a request form specifying the product type and quantity required, and upon approval from the admin, they can either collect the items from distribution points located on map or have them delivered within the campus. Ultimately, Luna aims to create a supportive ecosystem that connects compassion with need — ensuring that no woman or girl must compromise her health or confidence because of her period.

How we built it

LUNA was developed as a web-based platform using Flutter, enabling a responsive, cross-platform, and user-friendly interface. Firebase Firestore was used as the real-time cloud database to store and manage user profiles, donation records, and product requests efficiently, while also allowing the admin to oversee and manage requests and donations. Firebase Authentication was integrated to provide secure and seamless login for both donors and beneficiaries, ensuring data privacy and reliability. Additionally, the Flutter Maps package was implemented to mark and display distribution points within the university, making it easier for beneficiaries to locate nearby collection spots.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges we faced was addressing a topic that is often considered taboo in our society. Talking openly about menstruation and designing a system around it requires sensitivity, awareness, and the right approach to promote acceptance without discomfort. From a technical perspective, working with Flutter as beginners initially presented difficulties, especially in integrating multiple Firebase services and ensuring smooth functionality across devices. Another challenge was designing a user interface that was both intuitive and visually representative of LUNA’s mission — to convey care, dignity, and inclusivity while remaining simple for users to navigate. Overcoming these challenges strengthened our teamwork, problem-solving, and confidence in building socially impactful solutions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud to have built a functional platform that not only addresses an overlooked social issue but also brings technology and empathy together. LUNA successfully demonstrates how a simple, accessible web application can contribute in reducing period poverty and promote menstrual health, contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Luna empowers women and girls by providing access to hygiene solutions and we are proud to break the silence around menstrual health, a topic that is often considered taboo in many communities. We are also proud of completing the project with limited experience in Flutter and Firebase, while ensuring real-time database integration, secure authentication, and a user-friendly interface. Our team put up a collaborative effort in bringing LUNA to life along with developing supportive materials such as our project presentation and design assets.

What we learned

Through the development of LUNA, we learned how technology can be a powerful tool for driving social impact when combined with empathy and awareness. Our team gained hands-on experience in Flutter for front-end development and Firebase for backend services, including real-time databases and secure authentication. This helped us understand how to build a scalable and responsive web platform from scratch. Working on LUNA also gave us the opportunity to explore a topic that often remains hidden — menstrual health and hygiene. During our research, we discovered the wide range of hygienic products available in the market, such as menstrual cups, reusable pads, and hygiene wipes, which are often ignored due to poverty. Understanding these realities helped us design a solution that not only provides access but also encourages informed choices among students.

What's next for Luna

Looking ahead, we envision expanding LUNA beyond the university level to the city scale, enabling us to reach a wider audience of women and girls who face menstrual challenges in silence. By collaborating with local NGOs, health organizations, and educational institutions, LUNA aims to establish additional distribution and delivery points across the city to make hygiene products more accessible to underserved communities. We also plan to introduce an awareness and education section within the platform — including blogs, articles, and infographics — to promote safe and hygienic practices, debunk myths, and encourage open discussions about menstrual health.