lack of menstrual hygiene, awareness and sanitation impacting education

With only a small chunk of the menstruating population using sanitary products, an appalling number is still using materials like cloth, dust, leaves, ashes, etc. A shocking statistic shows that out of a total of (approximately) 40 crore menstruating women in India, less than 20% use sanitary pads [1]. With such unreliable products being used as a means to soak menstrual blood, menstruators have to stay within the confines of their homes, because by stepping out, they run the risk of staining. Menstruators using cloth, tend to wash and reuse the same piece of cloth throughout their cycle. This is not just unsanitary, but also disease and infection inducing.