Each year on 28 May, World Menstrual Health Day reminds us of a truth too often ignored: menstruation is a monthly reality for billions of people. And yet, for many, it remains a source of stigma, shame and silence.
Around the world, far too many girls and women are still forced to manage their periods without the information, products, or dignity they deserve.
In 2025, the theme is “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld.” The day is about ending the stigma around periods, making sure everyone can manage their periods safely and with dignity, and raising awareness of why menstrual health matters.
At MSI Asia Pacific, we believe menstrual health is not a luxury—it’s a right. It’s an essential part of sexual and reproductive health, and a foundation for achieving gender equality. Whether someone is in school, living with a disability, or displaced by a flood, they deserve the tools and support to manage their period safely, hygienically and with confidence.
Grishma Bista, MSI Asia Pacific Executive Officer reflects,
“When people can manage their periods safely and with dignity, they’re more likely to stay in school, participate in community life, and access the healthcare they need. Menstrual health is essential, because it gives people power over their bodies, their choices, and their futures.”
Menstrual health in the climate crisis
For many of the women MSI serves, the climate crisis is a daily reality. Rising sea levels, drought and flooding are hitting low- and middle-income countries hardest. Women and girls are among the most affected. With fewer resources and less decision-making power, their needs are often overlooked in disaster responses.
Pakistan is particularly vulnerable. It has one of the highest rates of urbanisation in South Asia, a population of over 241 million, and growing exposure to climate-related disasters like the 2022 floods. MSI is focused on helping communities adapt through access to menstrual health and reproductive choice.
In District Larkana, a flood-prone region, MSI and a local climate change organisation are delivering joint education sessions on climate adaptation, sexual and reproductive health, and menstrual hygiene. Health educators provide menstrual hygiene kits alongside services, giving communities the tools to protect their health during climate shocks, while building evidence for the inclusion of SRH and menstrual health in future climate response plans.
Whether re-entering school or the workforce, or facing displacement, menstrual and reproductive health supports resilience—enabling women to care for their families, protect their wellbeing, and contribute to climate solutions at every level.
Menstrual health for people with disabilities
Menstrual health must be accessible for everyone—including people with disabilities.
MSI Vietnam program partnered with the Association of Volunteer Doctors to organize a free healthcare event for 350 veterans, people living in poverty and people with disabilities at the Dong Mai commune health station, Ha Dong, Hanoi.
During the event, MSI workers met Hanh, a 42-year-old woman living with a disability. Hahn’s father was a soldier, and she is a survivor of Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide weaponised during the Vietnam War. Hahn’s disability affects her legs and causes difficulties in daily activities and work. She lives with her parents, is unmarried and has no children.
For many years, Hanh suffered from severe menstrual cramps twice a month, lasting for 3-4 days. Due to stigmatising beliefs about who can access sexual and reproductive health care, she had never had a gynaecological examination or received any sexual and reproductive health care services.
Service providers explained to Hanh the importance of sexual and reproductive health check-ups, including menstrual health, regardless of whether she was married or had children. She was also given a voucher for an examination at an MSI clinic so that she could attend a reproductive health checkup at any time.
Her story underscores the importance of inclusive menstrual healthcare—and the need to challenge assumptions about people with disabilities.
Hanh said:
“Thanks to MSI, I understand that even if I don’t have a husband or children, I still need gynaecological examinations and care. I will visit an MSI clinic for a check-up soon.”
Learning from what works: MSI and WaterAid
From 2017 to 2021, MSI Asia Pacific partnered with WaterAid to deliver the Keeping Girls in School Through Improved Reproductive and Menstrual Health project in Timor-Leste and PNG. Funded through the Australian Government’s Gender Action Platform, the project combined menstrual health education with girl-friendly school facilities and access to family planning.
Over 12,500 women and girls were reached, and more than 3,000 students gained access to new, inclusive WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) infrastructure. This included incinerators for pad disposal, menstrual product availability in toilets, and private changing spaces—features that helped reduce stigma and keep girls in school.
“Now we can just change our pads at school rather than having to go home,” said a 16-year-old student in rural Timor-Leste. “We don’t have to miss class anymore.”
Though the project ended in 2021, its success continues to shape MSI’s work globally, with learnings adapted across the region to better meet the needs of young women and their communities.
Read the project evidence brief here.
This World Menstrual Health Day, MSI Asia Pacific calls for a future where no one is held back by their period.
