Breaking The Cycle: Ending Menstrual Stigma

Menstruating women in Nepal are considered impure and polluting during their periods. 89% of Nepali women report experiencing restrictions related to their menstruation, limiting their social, family, and workforce participation.

Moreover, there is limited education about menstruation and reproductive health in schools. Poor menstrual practices directly result in irritations, urinary and reproductive tract infections, or other health problems, including the potentially fatal toxic shock syndrome or infertility.

Additionally, many have limited access to menstrual products. This lack of access is one of the main reasons for school and work absenteeism, with UNICEF estimating that 15-22% of girls miss school due to their menstruation, further reinforcing female exclusion and negatively impacting their chances in the job market. Consequently, menstruators report that their movement and participation outside households are limited or withheld during menses.

Additionally, the environmental impact is significant, as available menstrual products are up to 90% plastic-based, and disposal methods are often ecologically harmful.

We stand against the stigma of menstruation. We accomplish this by ensuring access to innovative eco-friendly menstrual products and providing education on menstruation.

MENSTRUATION

Menstruation Page Picture 01

Breaking The Cycle: Ending Menstrual Stigma

Additionally, the environmental impact is significant, as available menstrual products are up to 90% plastic-based, and disposal methods are often ecologically harmful.

We stand against the stigma of menstruation. We accomplish this by ensuring access to innovative eco-friendly menstrual products and providing education on menstruation.

89%

of Nepali women report suffering from menstrual discrimination and restrictions.

up to 22%

of Nepali girls miss school due to their menstruation.

90%

of all pads used in Nepal end up in the environment.

Our Solution

To combat the stigma surrounding menstruation and provide access to eco-friendly menstrual products, we established Sparśa. Sparśa (Sanskrit: Touch/Sensation) is a women-led Social Business producing and selling innovative, compostable menstrual pads made from banana fibres, a natural waste product. The procedure was further refined with the LGP2 Lab of Grenoble INP-Pagora Institute, validating the absorbent power of banana fibers in our menstrual pads.

By employing women living in poverty, we offer financial independence to those who have been long deprived of it. The profits generated by the factory will finance the Sparśa Ambassador Program, which will deliver menstrual awareness campaigns to school children and the adult population. By addressing cultural beliefs and taboos, we aim to change perceptions and behaviours related to menstruation, ultimately leading to long-term societal changes.

We provide Nepali women and school girls with compostable menstrual pads, fight deeply-rooted discrimination by delivering education, and curb plastic pollution caused by conventional products.

Our Solution

We provide Nepali women and school girls with compostable menstrual pads, fight deeply-rooted discrimination by delivering education, and curb plastic pollution caused by conventional products.

Our Impact

Increased freedom for women:
Access to sanitary products improves women’s social, educational, and workforce participation

Economic Empowerment:
Creating green jobs for disadvantaged Nepalese women

Reduction of environmental impact:
Providing a plastic-free, compostable alternative

Improved women’s health:
Promoting the use of menstrual pads as a replacement for unhygienic alternatives

Growing awareness of menstruation:
Through educational campaigns about menstruation

Reducing the stigma of menstruation:
Through open discussions and education

What Happened so Far?

1st Prototype

Our journey began with the creation of the first Sparśa pad prototype, marking the inception of our innovative banana fibre menstrual products.

In-Depth Study on Product Accessibility

We conducted 840 face-to-face interviews with women and girls in 14 districts of Nepal to gain insights into their menstrual experiences, product availability, and expectations regarding

Foundation of Sparśa

The birth of Sparśa, our women and community-led Social Business dedicated to producing sustainable menstrual pads and promoting menstrual awareness.

Opening of the banana fibre site

We inaugurated our banana fibre extracting and processing site in Tribeni, where the primary ressource for our pads is produced.

Awareness campaigns (8000+ participants)

Our successful awareness campaigns have reached over 8000 participants, spreading menstrual health education and breaking taboos.

Opening of our Sparśa pad making factory in Bharatpur

We designed, imported and set up our machines to convert the banana fibre into absordable matresses that are pressed and sealed together with other raw material into Sparśa pads.

Start of pad production for hygiene and composting tests

We have started our first trial production of pads to test the machines and material. The first pads were sent to the laboratory for hygiene and compostability testing.

Launch of the Ambassador Program

10 ambassadors are trained and each of them holds at least five awareness sessions per month in schools and community centres in Chitwan and Nawalparasi.

Research project to evaluate the Sparśa Ambassador Program’s impact

Creation of a survey and implementation of a pilot study with initial data collection on the effectiveness of workshops to reduce stigma in schools; Data analysis is still ongoing.

Our Next Steps

Creation of 10 green jobs for disadvantaged Nepali women
Annual supply of Sparśa pads for 3,200 women and girls
Achievement of financial self-sustainability of the Sparśa Social Business

Our Vision

Sparśa is a pilot model that, from the beginning, was designed to be replicated. Although we act locally, we think globally.

In Nepal:
Replication of the Project

Once the pilot project achieves financial self-sustainability, we will replicate our model in other Nepali communities, as the market is highly undersupplied. Here, we will prioritise districts, where pad accessibility and education on menstruation are the lowest according to our research.

Beyond Nepal´s borders:
The Sparśa Blueprint

Sparśa serves as a replicable blueprint for NGOs across the Global South. Our project goes beyond banana fibres; with the LGP2 Lab (Grenoble INP-Pagora Institute) and Prakash Lab (Stanford University) we will adapt the processes for various fibre plants. This enables replication in diverse climates, potentially benefiting millions of women in LMICs.

Ramba Shah
Community member

“We recently learned more about menstrual health through the awareness workshops organised in Susta. We also didn’t know that the sanitary pads we have been using are causing so much harm to the environment. We are very happy that we will now be able to have affordable, hygienic sanitary pads that will be produced from our local banana trees. This kind of project plays a vital role in minimising the stigma that we have in Nepal.”

“Most of our community depends on banana farming for their living. But we never knew that the banana trunk could be used for various purposes. We were having a hard time managing the useless post-harvest banana trunks. The community is now becoming optimistic about banana farming. Young people are also more interested in farming. Some are getting employment at the fibre factory, too. They are seeing the future in it. This is something we really need to help the community’s livelihood. We also get to learn more about banana trees. We are very happy that banana fibre can be used for such a valuable product as a sanitary pad, and we are a big part of it.”

Din Kurmi
Banana farmer

Menstruation Testimonial Picture 01

Ramba Shah
Community member

Menstruation Testimonial Picture 02

Din Kurmi
Banana farmer

READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

CONTACT

SUDHA DHAKAL

MANAGER SPARSA

PRAMILA BAJGAIN

COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT

READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

CONTACT

SUDHA DHAKAL

MANAGER SPARSA

PRAMILA BAJGAIN

COORDINATOR MENSTRUATION PROJECT

MENSTRUATION

Menstruation

Breaking The Cycle: Ending Menstrual Stigma

MENSTRUATION

Breaking The Cycle: Ending Menstrual Stigma

89%

of Nepali women report suffering from menstrual discrimination and restrictions.

up to 22%

of Nepali girls miss school due to their menstruation.

90%

of all pads used in Nepal end up in the environment.

Our Solution

Our Solution

Our Impact

Previous

Next

What Happened so Far?

1st Prototype

In-Depth Study on Product Accessibility

Foundation of Sparśa

Opening of the banana fibre site

Awareness campaigns (8000+ participants)

Opening of our Sparśa pad making factory in Bharatpur

Start of pad production for hygiene and composting tests

Launch of the Ambassador Program

Research project to evaluate the Sparśa Ambassador Program’s impact

Our Next Steps

Our Vision

In Nepal: Replication of the Project

Beyond Nepal´s borders: The Sparśa Blueprint

READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

SUDHA DHAKAL

PRAMILA BAJGAIN

READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

SUDHA DHAKAL

PRAMILA BAJGAIN

In Nepal:
Replication of the Project

Beyond Nepal´s borders:
The Sparśa Blueprint