Objective:

To promote menstrual health and hygiene among tribal and rural women and adolescent girls living in ecologically fragile and climate-vulnerable regions, through improved access to menstrual products, destigmatization of menstruation, and awareness on climate-resilient menstrual hygiene practices.

Overview:

In underserved, tribal, and climate-sensitive areas across Jharkhand and West Bengal, women and adolescent girls face compounding challenges when managing menstruation. These include deep-seated social taboos, limited access to sanitary products, inadequate WASH infrastructure, and recurring climate disruptions—such as floods and droughts—that further worsen menstrual poverty and educational exclusion.

To address these interlinked barriers, SEED—with CSR support from Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), implemented a large-scale Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) project across 350 educational and health institutions. The initiative aimed to break the silence around menstruation, build community awareness and institutionalize safe menstrual hygiene practices in both school and community health settings.

The programme ensured the regular availability of sanitary napkins in schools and healthcare centres through vending units. Simultaneously, awareness campaigns were rolled out using regionally adapted IEC materials and participatory learning techniques—such as street theatre, storytelling and peer-led discussions—to engage girls, teachers, mothers and frontline health workers.

Climate-resilient messaging was embedded throughout the campaign, emphasizing water-saving hygiene practices, safe menstrual waste disposal and emergency preparedness for menstrual needs in disaster-prone areas. Importantly, the intervention fostered a supportive environment by involving male students and school staff in awareness workshops to dismantle the shame and silence surrounding menstruation.

This comprehensive programme addressed menstrual health as both a gender and climate justice issue—improving health outcomes, reducing stigma and strengthening educational resilience in some of the most disadvantaged and ecologically vulnerable districts of Eastern India.

Impact:

• 15,000+ women and girls reached across 350 institutions in 7 districts.
• 90% of adolescent girls reported improved menstrual hygiene and greater confidence during menstruation.
• Over 70% reduction in menstruation-related absenteeism among schoolgirls.
• More than 700 health workers, teachers and community leaders trained in menstrual health education and emergency response.
• Local menstrual taboos challenged through culturally resonant campaigns in tribal dialects.
• Increased community-wide adoption of safe, hygienic, and climate-adaptive menstrual practices.
• Initiated conversations around menstrual health as a public health and climate resilience priority at the grassroots level.