This Women's Day, let's take a moment to reflect upon the important role our young girls play in shaping India's future. One pressing issue that many young girls in India face is the lack of safe menstrual health resources. This significantly impacts their health, mental well-being, education and the overall quality of life they lead.

"As a young program manager stepping into a government school in Bangalore, I was met with a shocking reality: most toilets had dysfunctional doors or no running water at all. To add to the dismay, these inadequate facilities were shared by boys, girls, and staff alike. The conditions were appalling, leaving me reeling at the reality of such a vital issue!" 

- Harsh (Program Manager, Collective Consciousness)

Every day, millions of young girls in India rely on hay, newspapers, rags, and other unhygienic adsorbents to manage their periods. Many dread going to school during their period due to unhygienic conditions and their families can’t afford sanitary pads, making each school day a struggle. Naturally, 23 million girls drop out of school annually due to a lack of awareness, acceptance and access to proper menstrual hygiene resources—a number exceeding the whole population of Sri Lanka.

Menstruation, a normal bodily function, remains a taboo topic in society. Conversations around it are often held in whispers. Girls from marginalized communities attending government schools are frequently left uninformed about this essential bodily function. Without education or support, they face unnecessary fear, confusion, and shame, highlighting the critical need for awareness and access to proper menstrual hygiene resources.

Addressing this vital issue- Project Devi

Devi, the flagship initiative of The Collective Consciousness, is reimagining menstrual health education with innovative design thinking to create a deeper behavioural impact. Our curriculum integrates Visual - Auditory - Kinesthetic (VAK) style of learning and gamified digital modules, making sessions fun and interactive, thereby ensuring engagement and knowledge retention. Devi aims to transform schools and communities into safe spaces where young girls can manage their periods with dignity.

Devi also seeks to destigmatise periods and cultivate empathy among non-menstruators, and encourage them to become allies to their menstruating peers.

Our journey so far and the roadmap for the future

We have conducted Devi sessions with over 2,300 girls from government and low-fee private schools and distributed close to 55,000 sanitary pads in the past three years, all while developing our programme elements. Our goal for 2025 is to engage 3,000 additional students across orphanages, government schools and low-fee private schools in Karnataka and NCR. The funds raised through this platform will go towards:

• Conducting the four-session Devi programme which covers various aspects of menstrual health through interactive, gamified modules


• Distributing menstrual kits to beneficiaries

What schools say about Project Devi

"Thank you Team Devi! Your engaging workshops truly transformed our 5th to 8th-grade girls' understanding and confidence in managing their menstrual health. Thank you for distributing menstrual kits- a thoughtful addition to the program. Girls were happy and felt more prepared and empowered."

- Suma (Ashoka Shishu Vihara)

"Thank you Sir and Ma'am for the wonderful sessions for our students. It was really an amazing session for our children."

- Esther (Newton Public School)

As we observe Women's Day, join us in raising awareness about menstrual health and supporting young girls in their educational journeys. Donate now and help us bring a change!

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