On the third day of her first period, 14-year-old Meena from Dumoli village in Uttarakhand sat quietly outside her mud house. Her schoolbag lay untouched, and her uniform was folded away—possibly for good.
“I didn’t know what was happening to me,” she whispered. “There was blood. I thought I was sick. My mother gave me an old cloth and said not to tell anyone. I felt dirty… ashamed.”
That was the last day Meena went to school.

A Widespread Crisis

Meena is not alone. Across rural India, millions of adolescent girls drop out of school every year due to period poverty—a mix of financial constraints, lack of menstrual hygiene infrastructure, stigma, and silence.
According to UNICEF, nearly 23 million Indian girls drop out of school annually due to menstruation-related issues. In hilly, remote regions like Uttarakhand, the crisis is even more severe due to long distances to school, poverty, and minimal government outreach.

What is Period Poverty?

Period poverty refers to the lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products, education, clean toilets, and disposal systems.
In many Uttarakhand villages, girls rely on old cloth, leaves, or even ash during menstruation. These unhygienic methods raise the risk of infections and make school attendance nearly impossible.
The NFHS-5 survey shows only 42% of rural adolescent girls in India use hygienic menstrual products—a number far lower in states with difficult terrain and cultural stigma, such as Uttarakhand.

Stories from the Ground

Meena, 14 – Dumoli Village
“I missed four days each month. Eventually, I didn’t go back. My school has only one broken toilet with no door.”
Sunita, 15 – Tarsali Village
After her second period, Sunita was made to sleep in a shed outside. “They said I was impure. I stopped going to school. I thought I had done something wrong.”
Rani, 13 – Binoli Village
Rani still attends school but dreads every period. “There’s no water or dustbin in the toilet. I hide my pad. If it leaks, I run home.”

The Culture of Silence

In many homes, the word “period” is never spoken. Girls are often told to stay away from temples, kitchens, and even drinking water. The first menstruation is met with fear, not education.
Schools mirror this silence. Teachers are untrained, and boys are excluded from conversations. “We don’t talk about these things,” admitted a teacher in Almora.
This ignorance leads to shame, isolation, and eventually—dropouts.

Schools Without Toilets, Pads, or Dignity

Government schemes like the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme and Kishori Shakti Yojana aim to distribute free sanitary pads and promote menstrual awareness. But implementation on the ground is poor.
In a survey of six government schools in Nainital and Almora
Only two had separate girls’ toilets.
None had pad vending machines or incinerators.
Only one had conducted a menstrual health workshop in two years.

Health Hazards

Unsafe menstrual practices result in:
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Fungal rashes
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
Infertility in extreme cases
Yet, none of the local health centers visited had menstrual education materials. ASHA workers lack both funding and training on menstruation.
Men Left Out, Shame Left In
Menstruation is often considered "women’s business." Boys are rarely educated, which perpetuates ignorance and bullying.
“When boys aren’t taught, they grow into men who mock or control,” said activist Arushi Bhatnagar. “Menstruation is not a women’s issue—it’s a social issue.”
The Role of NGOs and Community-Led Efforts
While the system fails, grassroots efforts are helping:
Goonj distributes cloth pads under its “Not Just a Piece of Cloth” initiative.
Menstrupedia Comics makes menstrual education accessible and engaging.
Humans for Humanity conducts menstrual hygiene workshops in North India.
In Almora, students run a “Pad Bank” to collect and distribute sanitary pads in rural schools.

What Needs to Change?

Menstrual Education in Schools
Incorporate menstrual health into the curriculum for all genders. Conduct regular awareness workshops.

Infrastructure & Pad Supply

Ensure clean, private toilets, regular pad distribution, vending machines, and disposal units in schools.

Train Teachers & Health Workers

Empower teachers and ASHA workers with tools and training to educate girls and parents without stigma.

Involve the Community

Host village-level sessions for parents and panchayat leaders to dispel myths and normalize menstruation.

Incentivize School Attendance

Reward schools that reduce menstruation-linked dropouts. Link menstrual health awareness to school performance metrics.

Conclusion

In Dumoli, Meena’s school uniform still hangs in a corner. “Maybe next year I’ll go back,” she says, softly. But unless something changes—unless society treats menstruation as normal, not shameful—that hope may remain just a dream.
India cannot claim to educate its daughters while turning a blind eye to the natural cycles of their bodies. To truly empower girls, we must start by giving them dignity—and a chance to stay in school, every day of the month.

Email:-------------swatidumka620@gmail.com