Girls in low in-come families often face a lack of appropriate sanitation resources to effectively manage menstruation while at school.
This leads to increased absenteeism and disengagement. When a girl misses school during her period, she falls behind her peers. When this happens month after month, the cumulative effect is devastating many girls eventually drop out altogether.

The silence and shame surrounding menstruation compound the problem. In many communities, menstruation is treated as a taboo subject, something to be hidden and never discussed.
Girls grow up with feelings of embarrassment and shame about a natural biological process. They lack accurate information about their bodies and are often unprepared for their first period. This lack of knowledge and support creates a cycle of fear, isolation, and missed educational opportunities.

The problem is not just about missing school for a few days each month. It is about the message that girls receive:
that their bodies are a source of shame, that their needs do not matter, and that their education is less important than their silence. This message is deeply damaging to girls' self-esteem and their belief in their own potential.

Our goals

Teacher speaking during a learning session

Supporting the Distribution of Free Sanitary Towels

How we get there:

We support schools to establish safe, discreet, and hygienic storage for sanitary towels.
We train school health coordinators and teachers on proper handling and distribution, so that girls can access towels without shame or stigma.
We advocate for each school to hold a small emergency stock of sanitary towels for girls who start their periods unexpectedly or who cannot access their supplies.