Education
Menstrual Health & Hygiene Initiative
2025
Advancing Dignity, Health and Equality Through Grassroots Action
Menstrual health is a fundamental part of health, dignity, education and gender equality. Yet for millions of women and adolescent girls managing menstruation safely remains a daily challenge shaped by poverty, stigma, misinformation and unequal access to menstrual hygiene resources.
Across many tribal communities in India, menstruation continues to be treated as a subject of silence rather than health. Deep rooted social taboos, limited menstrual health education and inadequate access to affordable sanitary products leave countless women and girls without the knowledge or resources needed to manage menstruation safely and confidently.
At Viswagandha Foundation (DVSS) we believe that no woman or girl should face barriers to health, education or opportunity because of menstruation. Through our Menstrual Health & Hygiene Initiative we work alongside tribal communities across West Bengal and Jharkhand to improve menstrual health awareness, promote safe hygiene practices, increase access to sanitary products and establish sustainable community based support systems through Community Pad Banks.
Our work is built on a simple belief: lasting change begins when awareness is combined with dignity, access and community participation.
Why Menstrual Health Matters
Why Menstrual Health MattersMenstruation is a natural biological process experienced by billions of women and girls throughout their lives. However for many it is still accompanied by shame, discrimination and misinformation.
When women and girls cannot manage menstruation safely the consequences extend far beyond hygiene. Poor menstrual health management can affect physical well being, confidence, education, participation in community life and overall quality of life. It also reinforces gender inequality by limiting opportunities and preventing women and girls from fully participating in everyday activities.
Improving menstrual health is therefore not only a health priority it is an investment in dignity, equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
The Challenge
The ChallengeThe challenges faced by women and adolescent girls in the tribal communities where we work are interconnected and cannot be solved through one time interventions alone.
For many families financial hardship makes purchasing sanitary pads every month difficult or impossible. As a result women often rely on whatever materials are available not because they are the safest option but because they are the only option within their reach.
Equally significant is the lack of access to accurate menstrual health education. Many girls experience menstruation without understanding the biological changes taking place while myths and misconceptions continue to influence how menstruation is perceived and managed within families and communities.
In several communities menstruation remains a taboo subject. Women and girls may feel embarrassed to discuss menstrual health, ask questions or seek support when they experience menstrual health concerns. The absence of open conversations allows misinformation to persist across generations and prevents women from making informed decisions about their health.
These challenges are further compounded in remote tribal villages where access to healthcare services, menstrual hygiene information and affordable menstrual products remains limited. Without sustained awareness, reliable access to sanitary products and supportive community environments women and girls continue to face unnecessary barriers to managing menstruation safely and with dignity.
Our Community Based Response
Our Community Based ResponseReal change begins by listening to communities.
Viswagandha Foundation (DVSS) conducts interactive menstrual health awareness sessions with tribal women, adolescent girls and mothers across villages in West Bengal and Jharkhand. These sessions create safe and respectful spaces where participants can openly discuss menstruation, ask questions and receive scientifically accurate information free from judgement or stigma.
Our awareness programmes focus on understanding menstruation as a natural biological process, promoting safe menstrual hygiene practices, addressing myths and misconceptions, demonstrating the correct use and safe disposal of sanitary pads, discussing the safe use of clean cloth when sanitary pads are temporarily unavailable and encouraging women to seek medical support whenever menstrual health concerns arise.
By encouraging dialogue and building trust within communities we help women and girls gain the confidence to make informed decisions about their menstrual health while promoting greater acceptance of menstruation as a normal and healthy part of life.
To ensure that awareness translates into action, sanitary pads are distributed during community sessions so that women and girls can immediately adopt safer menstrual hygiene practices.
Building Sustainable Access Through Community Pad Banks
Building Sustainable Access Through Community Pad BanksAwareness alone cannot improve menstrual health if safe menstrual products remain difficult to access.
Recognising this challenge Viswagandha Foundation (DVSS) establishes Community Pad Banks within tribal villages to provide continued local access to sanitary pads beyond one time awareness programmes. These community managed Pad Banks ensure that women and adolescent girls have a reliable source of menstrual hygiene products whenever they are needed.
Community Pad Banks reduce dependence on unsafe alternatives, strengthen community ownership and reinforce the healthy practices introduced during awareness sessions. They transform menstrual health support from a temporary intervention into an ongoing community resource.
By integrating awareness with sustained access we are building practical systems that continue to support women and girls long after a programme has concluded.
Creating Lasting Community Impact
Creating Lasting Community ImpactEvery awareness session represents more than the sharing of information it is an opportunity to challenge stigma, strengthen confidence and improve health outcomes.
Through sustained engagement across 30+ tribal villages in West Bengal and Jharkhand our initiative has directly reached 1000+ women and mothers improving menstrual health awareness, increasing access to sanitary products and strengthening long term community support through Community Pad Banks.
Across the communities we work with women and girls are becoming more confident in discussing menstruation openly, seeking accurate information, adopting safer menstrual hygiene practices and supporting one another in breaking long standing myths and misconceptions.
While lasting social change takes time, every conversation, every awareness session, every Community Pad Bank and every woman empowered with knowledge contributes to building healthier, more informed and more inclusive communities.
Looking Ahead
Viswagandha Foundation(DVSS) is committed to expanding this initiative to more underserved tribal communities, strengthening Community Pad Banks, improving access to safe menstrual hygiene products and ensuring that every woman and girl has the knowledge, confidence and resources needed to manage menstruation safely and with dignity.
We believe that lasting progress is achieved when communities themselves become active partners in change. By combining education, access and community participation we are working towards a future where menstruation is understood not as a source of stigma but as a natural part of life and where no woman or girl is left behind because of her menstrual health.
Support This Initiative
Every woman and girl deserves to manage menstruation safely, confidently, and with dignity.
Your support can help us expand menstrual health awareness programmes, establish more Community Pad Banks, improve access to sanitary products, and reach more underserved tribal communities across West Bengal, Jharkhand, and beyond.
Together, we can build communities where menstruation is understood, supported, and never becomes a barrier to health, equality, or opportunity.