Because menstruation and menstrual management are topics largely ignored in society, few people actually raise their voice or mobilize people and resources to make facilities such as schools menstrual friendly. The few individuals and private and public institutions that realize the problem and want to improve conditions do not know of the tangible and impactful actions they can take to improve the menstrual friendliness of schools.
The Making Schools Menstrual Friendly Program changes that. It is an initiative to address the specific needs of the adolescent girl in school. The program investigates, understands and enables the societal, environmental, interpersonal, personal and biological factors that aid schoolgirls in adequately managing menstruation.
The program is currently underway in 25 schools in the Balrampur District of Uttar Pradesh. It is implemented through two separate workshops that educate various stakeholders, including adolescent boys and girls, teachers and support staff, about menstruation management. These workshops provide a critical forum for these young girls to learn and engage in discussion that wouldn’t otherwise exist. The program is co-sponsored by UNICEF, with the ultimate goal to reach a total of 20,000 students.
The Making Schools Menstrual Friendly Program drives accountability both at the community and government level to improve the physical and social infrastructure of schools, making them more functional, friendlier, and safer for female students.