In the crowded BMC schools of Bandra-Kurla Complex, many adolescent girls once dreaded their periods more than their exams. Project Saksham is changing that by turning hygiene kit distribution into a doorway to confidence, leadership, and sisterhood. Through Saksham, girls receive not only sanitary pads and soap, but clear, stigma‑free information and the assurance that their needs matter in the school ecosystem.
In a Bharat Nagar school, 13‑year‑old Ayesha used to miss two or three days of class every month, afraid of stains and teasing. During a Saksham session, she learned how to manage her period safely and was given a hygiene kit she could carry discreetly in her bag. When the next cycle came, Ayesha stayed in school, and when a younger girl whispered that she wanted to go home because of sudden bleeding, Ayesha quietly opened her kit, guided her to the washroom, and walked back to class together. For her, the pads were important—but even more powerful was the realisation that she could be the one offering help instead of hiding in shame.
At another BKC school, Ritu always sat in the last bench, convinced that leadership roles were for boys or “confident girls from English medium.” After being chosen as a Saksham “child changemaker,” she helped teachers demonstrate proper handwashing and talk about menstrual hygiene during assemblies. Standing in front of hundreds of students, she explained why girls should never be mocked for periods. Her hands shook the first time, but the applause that followed—and the nods from other girls—sparked a change. Ritu now leads a small peer group that reminds classmates to carry their kits, keeps the girls’ washroom clean, and even speaks to parents during school meetings about supporting their daughters.
Saksham’s menstrual hygiene work is woven into a broader effort to make health and dignity part of the school culture. Doctors, WHO experts, and BMC health staff run interactive sessions while The WE Foundation teams ensure that every girl leaves with practical supplies and someone she can turn to with questions. The project also creates “changemaker clubs” where boys and girls together discuss respect, consent, and cleanliness, so that responsibility for safe, supportive environments does not fall on girls alone.
The real impact of Saksham is visible in small, everyday shifts: Ayesha no longer missing class on heavy‑flow days, Ritu confidently raising her hand in science class, groups of girls openly comparing notes on how many pads are left in their kits instead of whispering in corners. In thirteen BMC schools—and soon across many more—Project Saksham is proving that when menstrual hygiene is treated as a right, not a favour, schoolgirls stop planning their lives around fear and start planning around their dreams.