Across 7 Indian States, College Students Found a Way to Ensure Girls Don’t Miss School During Periods

It was during Joy of Giving Week in Jamshedpur that something unsettled Sristi Bose.

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She and her classmates from Little Flower School were visiting rural schools to distribute items they had collected. The visits were meant to be cheerful, full of movement and conversation. Yet as Sristi walked from one classroom to another, she began noticing the same detail again and again. Several benches were empty. The absence felt patterned rather than accidental.

When she finally asked a teacher why so many seats were vacant, the answer came easily.

The girls were on their periods.

At the time, Sristi herself was navigating puberty, learning about her body and its changes. Hearing that girls were missing school for something she was only beginning to understand made the moment linger.

“That’s when I realised how many women and girls in rural areas grow up without basic knowledge about menstruation,” she recalls. “I could not stop thinking about it.”

That thought stayed with her, shaping how she noticed gaps, silences, and absences long after the school visits ended.

A question that did not go away

Years later, when Sristi entered college, the memory resurfaced with clarity. Today, she is 19 and a second-year computer science engineering student at the Manipal Institute of Technology. About 11 months ago, she decided to give direction to the question she had carried since school.

That decision became Project Ecosanitation.

At first, it was a personal attempt to respond to something unresolved. As she began speaking about it, the idea slowly found echoes. Other students stepped in. Over time, 11 more joined her, including two male students, coming together from different batches.

“The response was slow initially,” Sristi says. “But as conversations grew, I realised others cared about the same things. We agreed this had to be purpose-led.”

That shared intent shaped how the project evolved. Instead of expanding from a single centre, each student began working in their home state. The work grew from familiarity, shaped by language, lived context, and trust.

Starting with conversation, not products

As the team started visiting schools and community spaces, one approach felt clear. They would begin with conversation.

Over the past year, Project Ecosanitation has reached 355 girls and women across seven states: Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. Sessions are held in classrooms and community halls, where volunteers talk about menstrual hygiene, body literacy, and sustainable practices.

The tone is participatory. Questions guide the sessions, and pauses are allowed.

“We try to create spaces where girls feel safe speaking,” Sristi explains. “For many, this is the first time anyone has asked them what they want to know.”

Attendance is tracked through feedback forms collected after each session, helping the team understand their reach across regions. Every session also includes the free distribution of biodegradable sanitary pads. For the students, awareness without access feels incomplete.

As these conversations deepened, another concern slowly entered the picture.

When sustainability entered the conversation

India generates around 12.3 billion sanitary pads every year, adding up to nearly 1,13,000 tonnes of waste. Much of this ends up in landfills, affecting soil, water, and air, while placing rag-pickers at serious health risk.

For the team, this raised a new question. How could menstrual health be addressed without creating another problem in the process?

That question pushed Project Ecosanitation towards product development.

The team began working on biodegradable sanitary napkins made from hemp, chosen for its hypoallergenic properties and lower risk of rashes. The current prototype uses 70 percent hemp fibre and 30 percent cotton cellulose. To prevent leakage, the pads use a biodegradable Poly Lactic Acetate film, which is still being refined.

“PLA has strength, but flexibility is a challenge,” Sristi explains. “We are working on making it thinner and blending it with other biodegradable materials so it bends more easily.”

The project is now in its second stage of prototyping, guided by comfort, absorption, and everyday usability.

Cost, comfort, and rural access

Even as the product evolved, access remained central. The team aims to price the pads between Rs 10 and Rs 12. With manufacturing margins for women running the units, the cost may rise to Rs 14 or Rs 15, similar to many regular pads available today.

“We want these to reach women through schools, health centres, and CSR initiatives,” Sristi says. “In many rural areas, women still use cloth. In some tribal parts of Jharkhand, leaves are used.”

Innovation, she believes, only matters when it reaches the people it is meant for.

This focus on sequence and trust stands out to those who have worked closely with the project. Hrishita Singh Charan, 23, founder of the Udaipur-based Rahda Foundation, has mentored Sristi through this journey.

Hrishita explains, “Communities need to trust what they use first. Only then does it make sense to introduce biodegradable alternatives. The long-term plan is to build small-scale manufacturing units in rural India, run by women, for women.”

‘I wanted other girls to have freedom’

Despite progress, the team continues to encounter silence around menstruation.

“Even in urban schools, open conversations are rare,” Sristi says. “When I was in school, workshops were held only for girls. Many boys grew up misinformed.”

At home, her experience was different. As an only child in a household where both parents worked, menstruation was never hidden.

“I wanted other girls to feel that freedom,” she says.

In rural settings, that freedom takes time. During campaigns in government schools in Hyderabad and in the Sunderbans of West Bengal, many girls initially sat with their faces covered. Gradually, questions emerged.

“Many girls in their late teens do not know how menstruation happens or that it can lead to pregnancy,” Sristi explains. “Their mothers were often never taught either.”

During jan sunwais (public listening sessions), the team learnt that in some places, girls were sent home when teachers discovered they were menstruating. Girls mature early, while boys often remain excluded from these conversations.

‘I learnt that there is nothing wrong with me’

Soumya, 14, attended one of Project Ecosanitation’s sessions. “When I first noticed changes in my body, I felt confused and scared,” she says. “I was ashamed to talk about pads and periods with my mother, especially in front of my brother.”

The sessions helped her understand what was happening to her body.

“I learnt that these changes are normal. I now take care of myself during my periods, change my undergarments regularly, and use sanitary napkins properly,” she says.

She also learnt how to dispose of used pads safely and when it is important to see a doctor. “Most importantly, I realised periods are not a disease,” Soumya says. “They are a natural part of life. Being part of this campaign helped me feel more confident and speak openly.”

Talking about health beyond periods

The discussions do not end with menstruation. Volunteers also talk about PCOS, PCOD, menopause, and signs that require medical attention. Mothers are invited whenever possible.

“In the Sunderbans, many women did not realise they were experiencing menopause,” Sristi says. Early conversations, she believes, can prevent long-term health challenges.

Before entering communities, student volunteers undergo regular training. They learn how to speak with care, use simple visual material, and respond patiently to hesitation or silence.

Carrying the work forward

Looking ahead, the team plans to introduce menstrual cups, which significantly reduce waste due to their long lifespan. For now, they continue distributing biodegradable bamboo-fibre pads and holding hour-long discussions around hygiene and social restrictions, including why girls miss school during menstruation.

In April 2025, Sristi presented Project Ecosanitation in Stuttgart, Germany, before executives from international companies.

“Many were surprised by how limited access is in India,” she says. “In several countries, menstrual products are tax-free.”

The project is incubated under MAHE and will receive funding through the beVisioneers Mercedes Benz Fellowship. Final prototype testing is underway, with BIS certification expected within six months. Production will follow through small-scale industries.

“We plan to work with panchayats and set up units using manual or semi-automatic machines,” Sristi says. “Women will be trained in hygiene, packaging, and basic financial skills.”

Alongside this work, she continues to perform strongly academically. She was the ICSE topper in Class 10 and ranked fourth in the state. In Class 12, she placed third. She enjoys swimming and trained in Rabindra Sangeet until Class 8.

“My coursework is engineering, and the project focuses on sustainability and women’s empowerment,” she says. “Both matter to me.”

She hopes to work for a few years, pursue higher studies abroad, and return to India.

“I want to expand Project Ecosanitation,” she says. “And I want to do that work here.”