Period poverty is the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual education, and hygiene facilities. When families must choose between food and sanitary pads, pads become a luxury.
Without proper supplies, girls resort to unsafe alternatives like old rags, leaves, or newspaper. These makeshift solutions are uncomfortable, ineffective, and pose severe health risks like reproductive tract infections.
Furthermore, the fear of leakage and stigma forces many girls to stay home entirely during their cycles. Missing just four days of school every month adds up to nearly six weeks of lost learning time each academic year.