Reproductive Health India Project #65207

Menstruation Hygiene and Girls with Disabilities

by Blind People's Association (India)

Project Report | Mar 29, 2026
Garmia - Periods with Dignity

By Dr Bhushan Punani | General Secretary

Awarness Session

Dear Donors and Well-Wishers,

Greetings!!

With immense gratitude and heartfelt appreciation, we are delighted to share that the Garima – Periods with Dignity project continues to make meaningful progress, thanks to your generous support.

This initiative is dedicated to ensuring that school-going girls in rural areas of Gujarat have access to safe, biodegradable sanitary napkins, while also creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for women with disabilities through their production. What began in 5 schools in the Gandhinagar block has now expanded to 15 schools, reaching more than 1,300 adolescent girls.

For many girls in rural communities, access to sanitary napkins remains a challenge due to social stigma, limited availability, and deep-rooted cultural barriers. Often, they are unable to openly ask family members for sanitary products and are compelled to use traditional cloth, which can be unhygienic and harmful to their health.

Through the Garima project, girls are now able to access sanitary napkins directly at school in a safe and supportive environment. Equally important, they receive awareness sessions on menstrual hygiene, reproductive health, and counseling—helping them replace fear and shame with knowledge and confidence.

We would like to share the experience of Sangita, a student of Grade 8, whose story reflects the impact of your support:

“When I got my first period, my mother was unable to explain what was happening. I could sense her discomfort, and I felt confused and scared. When the awareness session was conducted in our school, it helped me understand menstruation and my body in a clear and respectful way. I realized that using cloth was unhygienic, but I had no other option before. I often missed school during my periods. Now, with biodegradable napkins available at school, everything has changed. They are easy to use and dispose of, and I feel more confident and comfortable. Today, I attend school without fear. Garima has truly given us dignity during our periods.”

Stories like Sangita’s are a powerful reminder that your support is not just providing a product—it is restoring dignity, building confidence, and enabling girls to continue their education without interruption.

On behalf of all the girls and women whose lives you have touched, we extend our deepest thanks. Your generosity is helping us break silence, challenge stigma, and ensure that every girl can experience Periods with Dignity.

With sincere gratitude,

Distribution of Napkins

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Sep 30, 2025
I can attend a school regularly

By Dr Bhushan Punani | General Secretary

School Awarness {P

Dear Donors, Well-Wishers, and Friends,

Greetings from BPA! We hope this progress report finds you in great spirit and health.

We are delighted to share the encouraging progress of our Menstrual Hygiene Program for school-going girls with and without disabilities. This project is creating a dual impact:

Girls with and without disabilities receive free, 100% biodegradable sanitary napkins at the school level, ensuring that they do not miss school during menstruation.
Women with disabilities from rural areas earn a sustainable livelihood by producing these eco-friendly sanitary napkins, helping them step out of poverty with dignity.

During the last reporting period, we conducted 25 awareness programs on menstrual hygiene across rural primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools. A total of 756 girls participated in these sessions. At the end of each program, girls were provided with free biodegradable sanitary napkins—making hygiene products accessible right where they are needed the most.

We wish to share the heartfelt story of Rekha, a grade 8 student from a small village. When she experienced her first menstruation at school, she was frightened and confused. Her teacher asked her to go home and she stayed away for several days. From then on, each time she had her period, she would skip school out of fear of being ridiculed by classmates.

Today, thanks to this program, Rekha and many other girls like her have access to safe, biodegradable sanitary napkins directly in their schools—free of cost. This small yet powerful change has given them the confidence and dignity to continue their education without interruption.

Looking ahead, our goal for the next two months is to provide 1,000 rural girls with biodegradable sanitary napkins for one full year. With your support, these young girls can continue attending school regularly, maintaining not only their hygiene and health but also their dreams and aspirations.

Your continued encouragement and generosity are what make such life-changing impacts possible. Together, we are not only improving menstrual hygiene but also creating a brighter, more inclusive future for girls and women with disabilities.

With heartfelt gratitude,

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Apr 21, 2025
Empowering Adolescent Girls

By Dr Bhushan Punani | General Secretary

Sensitization Session in School

Dear Donors, Well-Wishers, and Friends,

Warm greetings from BPA!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support of our new initiative focused on promoting menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls.

We are pleased to share that this initiative has received an overwhelmingly positive response from school authorities. As part of the program, we conduct interactive two-hour sessions on menstrual hygiene and best practices, including practical demonstrations. These sessions are organized in mainstream schools in rural areas and reach both girls with and without disabilities.

During our engagement with the students, we discovered that many girls do not use sanitary napkins regularly. Instead, they rely on traditional methods such as cloth, which are often unhygienic and uncomfortable. The main barriers are the unavailability of sanitary products in villages and the high cost, which many families cannot afford.

To address this, our project is providing sanitary napkins free of charge to school-going girls. This support has been enthusiastically welcomed, with many girls sharing that this will enable them to attend school regularly during their menstrual periods.

In the recent reporting quarter, we reached:

12 schools
487 girls sensitized
1,289 packets of sanitary napkins distributed

These 487 girls will continue to receive sanitary napkins regularly through this initiative.

We invite you to adopt one girl for a year at a cost of less than USD 15, and help us expand this life-changing initiative. Your support can make a lasting difference in the lives of young girls, helping them stay in school, build confidence, and lead healthier lives.

Please consider sharing this message with your family and friends. Together, we can ensure that no girl is held back because of menstruation.

With gratitude and hope,

Promoting Awarness

Sanitary Napkin Distribution

Promoting Menstruation Hygine

Napkin Distribution

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