Shedding the Stigma: The Importance of Menstrual Health
- abosworth78
- May 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 3
Everyone deserves access to health and safety, regardless of their gender. Despite half of the world’s population experiencing menstruation in their lives, there is still stigma and shame around menstrual hygiene. This creates a culture where it is easier to be quiet about a personal and sometimes uncomfortable topic than to face it head on, leading to millions of girl’s and women’s health and wellbeing suffering under the silence.
The Issue
In many places around the world, menstruation is seen as unclean or impure. Without access to clean water, latrines, and handwashing stations, women and girls are encouraged to stay home from work or school. This leads to a reduced paycheck, missed educational opportunities, and enforcement of the social stigma. In some cases, they cannot afford the supplies they need to safely manage their cycles. In others, girls may not have even been taught about their menstrual cycles, leaving them confused and ill-equipped to navigate nearly a week of each month.
This is known as period poverty. Whether it be the lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, difficulty in accessing menstrual health care products, or simply the absence of education, women and girls are left to handle this normal monthly occurrence on their own. Because of shame, taboos, or misinformation, menstruating girls are often encouraged to stay home from school or drop out completely, widening the gender education gap.
At Wine To Water (WTW), we know that menstrual health is a crucial component of women’s healthcare, and the first step is talking about it. Healthy women and girls lead to healthier communities, so WTW has moved towards including menstrual health and hygiene in all of our global WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) education. Like many things at WTW, some of our most comprehensive programming around this topic was sparked by one person’s passion and commitment.
Roshani and WTW Nepal team lead a menstrual health education session and give out reusable pads.
The Creation of Khushi
In 2022, Roshani Karki Sapkota, the country director of Nepal, saw the challenges faced by women and girls firsthand in the field and began working towards change. As a participant of the RISE fellowship, Roshani pioneered Khushi, a social enterprise that tackles the need for reusable menstrual products while providing livelihood opportunities for women. The idea was simple but brilliant: women would be taught to sew reusable pads that would then be donated to women and girls from communities that Wine To Water was already working with. Khushi employees were also empowered to sew bags, pencil cases, and more, the profits of which go back into supporting menstrual hygiene programming and their own families.
Since Khushi’s inception in 2022, nearly 4,000 pads have been sewn, distributed to 920 women and girls in some of the most remote communities of Nepal. Aside from providing resources, Roshani and the WTW team also provide education. Women and girls are taught about their monthly cycles in a safe and engaging environment, and then given the tools they need to effectively manage their health. By opening up the conversation and providing much needed resources, girls can feel empowered to attend school at any time of the month.
Examples of Khushi products. Khushi means "happiness" in Nepali, and the initiative's tagline is "By women, for women".
Beyond Nepal
The creation of Khushi was just the beginning. While Khushi continues to produce reusable pads and raise money for menstrual health management (MHM) education, WTW has expanded its programming to Colombia, Tanzania, and South Africa. Our teams are always committed to finding culturally appropriate solutions, so MHM might look a little different in each country. In Colombia, menstrual underwear have been distributed, while Tanzania is focused on education at the school and community level. Check out some global highlights from our teams' Menstrual Health Day celebrations this year below!
Global Highlights from Menstrual Health Day 2025:
WTW South Africa distributed 250 sanitary pads at a school
WTW Nepal held an art contest with the theme “Period Friendly World”
Multiple pad making and educational sessions held in communities
WTW Nepal had a menstrual health awareness ad on the local radio!
Appropriate latrines are another vital piece of our MHM work. Schools and communities often only have access to facilities that are crumbling, unsanitary, and lacking adequate privacy. Many do not have handwashing stations. By providing private, sanitary places to use the bathroom and manage a menstrual cycle, barriers to attending school are lowered. Proper bathroom facilities are also essential for successful WASH programs, and latrine building or repair is prioritized in every community.
Where Are We Now?
Roshani has been appointed WTW’s Senior Director of Programs, and we are honored to have her ingenuity and care leading our work. With her wealth of experience and insight, Roshani is in a perfect position to share her experiences and empower our country offices to learn from each other. By highlighting each team member's expertise, our offices are building a model that aims to fight period poverty- and WASH challenges- around the world.
Menstrual health is just one component of our WASH education, but we are committed to not leaving girls and women behind in silence. We all should have health resources and safety at all times of the month, and our teams are on the ground turning that belief into reality.
If you want to support more work like this, consider joining the WTW email list or donating.