Women
Driving Dignity, Leadership, and Opportunity
Women leading the change
Women are central to the health and vitality of their communities, yet barriers like menstrual stigma, inadequate sanitation, and unequal access to resources continue to limit women's full participation in community life.
At The Cycle, we believe that when women and girls are safe, informed and supported, communities thrive. Our work strengthens dignity, confidence, leadership and agency in ways that resonate across families and communities.
Our Impact
On the Ground Reality
Right now, 500 million women and girls don't have the things they need to manage their periods safely, nor the understanding to free them from embarrassment. In India, just 36% of women use hygienic menstrual products (Dasra, 2015). These gaps in education and access, compounded by a lack of toilets and entrenched taboos, drive an estimated 23 million girls to drop out of school annually — perpetuating gender inequality and poverty (NFHS-5, 2019–21)
Over 70% of girls in India learn about menstruation only at menarche.
(Sanitation First, 2025)
In Tamil Nadu, 90% of students we surveyed believed misleading taboos about menstruation — and just 1.1% knew why periods happen.
(Sanitation First, 2025)
Only 36% of women in India use hygienic menstrual products.
(NFHS-5, 2019-21)
What We Do
Our approach to women's health and dignity is grounded in menstrual health and gender-inclusive WASH — because safe sanitation only improves lives when menstruation can be managed with privacy, safety, and confidence.
We focus on these core outcomes:
Menstrual health and dignity
We deliver Happy Periods, our award-winning curriculum on puberty, menstruation, and self-care for children and adolescents in schools, and for women and girls beyond them. We pair this with safe infrastructure, including toilets with changing spaces and menstrual incinerators.
Sustainable products and safe waste management
We distribute reusable hygiene kits, including antimicrobial SafePads™️, cutting down on the menstrual waste that would otherwise end up in the environment. We build sanitation facilities with safe disposal built in, and extend this work to women sanitation workers, who face high rates of reproductive infection and exclusion.
Women's leadership and livelihoods
Women hold active roles in Village Water and Sanitation Committees, shaping decisions on local water governance. With water sources restored, women are also reclaiming the time and resources lost to water scarcity — turning invasive Prosopis juliflora into biochar, and building new incomes through bio-enzyme production, kitchen gardens, and mushroom cultivation.
Climate, heat, and menstrual health
Heat and menstrual health are deeply linked. Rising temperatures, combined with limited access to shade, water, and clean toilets, raise the risk of infection, dehydration, and menstrual distress. Conditions like endometriosis remain under-reported too, often hidden by stigma and lack of information — we've studied symptoms among thousands of women to bring visibility to these conditions and help them recognise when to seek care.
Make a Difference
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The Real Change
Breaking stigma
Girls no longer miss school because of their periods. Women recognise the signs of conditions like endometriosis instead of suffering through them in silence, and know when and where to seek care. What was once a source of shame and disruption is becoming a normal part of life.
Reduced waste, safer work
Less menstrual waste ends up in the environment. Sanitation workers face less exposure to infection, and less of the exclusion that has long come with their work — their contribution is recognised rather than hidden.
Time reclaimed, women's livelihoods restored
Women spend less of their day fetching water, and more of it in school, in paid work, and in the rooms where decisions get made. As household income diversifies beyond hazardous, low-paid work, families are less exposed to the stress that fuels conflict and gender-based violence — and women are taking up leadership seats on the committees that govern their community's water and land.
Our Change Makers
Hear from community members we work alongside
"As a young mother, I received support at a time when I needed it the most. After my delivery, I struggled with heavy bleeding; the Happy Periods training and sustainable hygiene kit not only helped me manage my bleeding but also lifted my spirits and gave me comfort, confidence, and a sense of control."
Jayalakshmi, 24
