arrow_back Back to Blog
PolicyEducation

Contextualising Menstrual Health in Maharashtra

Meaningful change grows when people, context, and intention come together. Glimpses from our workshop with SCERTM.

By Sharmila Chowdhury May 28, 2026 4 min read
Contextualising Menstrual Health in Maharashtra

Three days. Many voices from the field. One shared purpose.

Glimpses from our contextualisation and development workshop for a menstrual health program in Government schools in Maharashtra, with SCERTM.

The focus was simple: understand deeply before designing anything.

We explored:

  • The realities young students navigate every day
  • The challenges that often remain unspoken
  • The small but important gaps within school ecosystems

From these conversations, we designed a program that feels practical, inclusive, and rooted in real needs:

  • A Teacher Training (ToT program) to support confident and sensitive facilitation
  • Periodic student sessions with fun, engaging activities - where learning feels light, and both girls and boys participate openly
  • Parent engagement to carry conversations beyond classrooms
  • Access to sustainable sanitary pads
  • Training on sustainable menstrual waste management

What stayed with us most was the energy in the room - people sharing openly, listening deeply, and building together.

Meaningful change grows when people, context, and intention come together.

Grateful to be part of this journey.

Sharmila Chowdhury Krishna Ramavat Swati Patil Jaydeep Mandal

#MenstrualHealth #CSR #MHM #MHH #WASH #BCC #SDG3 #SDG4 #SDG5

Sharmila Chowdhury
Sharmila Chowdhury

Sharmila Chowdhury leads operations and community integration programs at Aakar Social Ventures, championing menstrual hygiene, dignity, and sustainable social impact.