Ritu’s Story from Nepal

In honor of the International Day of the Girl, we are sharing inspiring girls' stories from different parts of the world about the challenges they have overcome.

This is Ritu, a 15-year-old girl from a rural community in Nepal. Ritu, like many girls her age, faced challenges in attending school when she was menstruating. Sanitary pads were not easily accessible in school and this was having an impact o her education and that of her peers.

During an inter-generational dialogue organized by Equal Access International, Ritu seized the opportunity of having a platform to share her concerns about the various challenges to attending school that she and her peers faced during their periods. Her passion and message caught the attention of the local Ward Chair, who committed to allocating funds for all the public schools in the area to have free sanitary pads available for girls. The chair not only stayed true to his commitment, but also took the initiative to coordinate with other chairs, resulting in the local government announcing that they would allocate funds for all public schools in the district to provide free sanitary pads for girl students.

Girls studyng in the public schools of that district no longer need to worry about missing school or feeling embarrassed during their periods. This was all made possible by one girl champion who stood up and raised her voice to ignite the spark for the much-needed change that positively affected the lives of so many others.