Meera Venugopal

High School Finalist, Grade 11
Fishers, IN

Silent Barriers: Menstrual Equity and the Fight for Education in India 

“I can’t go to school today,” Rani whispers. “It started again.” Her mother does not ask questions. She reaches for a piece of cloth, folded carefully, as if this is simply part of growing up. 

In a rural school in Rajasthan, Rani sits inside her classroom. The bell rings, sharp and indifferent. 

She sits still, feeling the discomfort of her period in a school that offers limited support,  including no sanitary products and no space where her needs are treated as normal. In that moment, she is unable to concentrate in her class, her attention pulled away by uncertainty. 

She waits for the bleeding to slow, embarrassment to pass, and tomorrow to feel easier than today. 

As a result, every month, she disappears from school.  

Not once. Not by accident. But predictably. 

Context and Implications 

India’s menstrual health crisis is one of the most persistent yet least visible barriers to the development of females. It is a pressing issue in India because it systematically restricts girls’  access to education, limits participation in daily life, and perpetuates gender inequality across generations.

According to the National Institute of Health, females in rural India are less likely to use modern menstrual products than in urban areas, with lower access to products in rural areas contributing to reduced usage rates (NIH, 2023). While cloth can be used safely when thoroughly cleaned and  

maintained, many rural schools lack adequate facilities and consistent access to menstrual products, making management difficult for students. In some schools, menstrual products are available but not easily accessible. Since they are typically stored in offices or infirmaries, this requires students to leave class for extended periods of time to obtain them. In contrast, other schools do not provide them at all due to limited funding or families’ inability to consistently supply them. 

The International Journal of Medical Sciences and Nursing Research states that about 13% of girls in rural India missed school more than three times during their cycle due to lack of products in school (Radhakrishnan and Vasudevan, 2024). These absences repeat monthly and accumulate into learning loss. However, the deeper issue is not only absence but also what it produces: missed lessons, reduced participation, and a loss of confidence.  

Menstruation lasts only a few days each month. 

Yet its consequences can shape years of education. 

Solutions 

1. School-Linked Menstrual Outreach Networks 

One effective intervention for rural schools that have no access to products is the establishment of a structured school-linked menstrual health facilitator program. Trained facilitators, including Indian health workers and trained United States student volunteers,  would be assigned to certain schools and visit annually. Menstrual supplies would be

distributed to help students who may be struggling to manage menstruation consistently. U.S. youth organizations can show support by training student volunteers, funding partnerships with Indian NGOs, and developing standardized menstrual health toolkits and monitoring systems to ensure the program can be scaled sustainably. 

2. Menstrual-Friendly School Infrastructure Improvement 

Improving school infrastructure by installing hygiene product dispensers in bathrooms is a key step for schools that already provide products, but where access remains limited. In many cases, products are not readily available in the bathrooms, requiring students to leave class and walk to the nurse’s office to obtain them. This gap can be addressed by placing menstrual products directly in school bathrooms through free dispensers, allowing immediate access. Community organizations in the U.S. can support India through partnerships with UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools Program,  helping fund the installation of dispensers, strengthen product supply chains, and support long-term maintenance systems. By making products available where students need them most, it helps ensure that access to basic hygiene does not interfere with learning. 

3. Menstrual Health Education in Schools 

Finally, menstrual health education plays a critical role in reducing stigma and improving adolescent well-being. In India, menstrual stigma remains deeply rooted in cultural taboos, often limiting discussion and contributing to shame, silence, and misinformation. From the perspective of the World Health Organization (WHO), teachers play a significant role in providing accurate information and creating a supportive environment,  but without proper training, they are often unable to address students’ needs (WHO,  2024). While access to products is still inconsistent in many areas, education is essential in

ensuring that students understand how to manage menstruation safely. From the U.S.,  support can come through funding and partnership with organizations working on curriculum development and training for both male and female teachers in India. 

Personal Commitment 

As a student interested in healthcare inequity, I have come to understand that meaningful progress begins not with awareness alone, but with access. 

In my community, I co-founded the M&D Mission Foundation with my sister in 2021, through which I have assembled and distributed over 500 feminine hygiene kits. This initiative was inspired by observations from my own school experience, where menstrual products were not always easily accessible in bathrooms, leaving students without the support they needed during the school day. What started as a small, local effort has grown over time, and in 2026 I was awarded a national grant to expand this work to reach more schools. What has stayed with me most is how something as simple as a hygiene kit can determine whether a student is able to fully participate in her education or quietly fall behind because of what she lacks.