Pune: Over 73,000 Students in 745 Schools to Benefit from Ujaas Menstrual Health Drive
Pune, 14th June 2025: Ujaas, an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust, today announced the signing of a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pune Government. This strategic collaboration not only marks a significant step toward improving menstrual health awareness and access across schools in Pune but also promotes holistic student well-being. The partnership aims to embed menstrual health into the broader vision of quality education outlined by the NEP.
As a natural progression in its mission, Ujaas is launching a large-scale menstrual health awareness initiative in collaboration with the Pune government, aiming to reach over 73,591 adolescents across 745 schools in 13 districts. By integrating menstrual health education into school health programs and leveraging community platforms, the initiative seeks to break taboos, build knowledge, and distribute Ujaas’ eco-friendly “green” sanitary pads to improve access and adoption at scale. Each participating girl will receive four packets of sanitary pads to reinforce both education and access, while sensitization modules will engage boys, teachers, and communities to normalize conversations around menstruation.
The MoU with the Pune Government represents a pivotal advancement in integrating menstrual health into the region’s public health and education frameworks. Ujaas has been actively collaborating with local Primary Health Centres (PHCs), educators, and community health workers to implement structured workshops, sensitization programs for boys and girls, and educator-led initiatives. These efforts aim to foster lasting behavioral change while aligning with the New Education Policy (NEP)’s commitment to holistic student well-being.
Since 2022, Ujaas has made a measurable impact in the Pune district alone, conducting 1,254 awareness sessions and reaching 49,298 beneficiaries, including 44,298 girls, 1,925 boys, 197 teachers, and 2,878 women. Over this period, more than 8 lakh sanitary pads were distributed, including 708 of Ujaas’ eco-friendly “green” pads, through both school and community engagement initiatives.
“Menstrual health is a public health priority that deserves open dialogue and sustained action,” said Poonam Patkar, Head of Ujaas. “Over the past few years, our work in Pune has allowed us to engage deeply with schools and communities, reaching nearly 50,000 individuals through structured awareness sessions and pad distribution. This impact has laid a strong foundation for our expanded partnership with the Pune Government. Through this MoU, we aim to deepen our reach in underserved areas and work alongside health workers, schools, and adolescents to transform both access and attitudes.”
Recent program evaluations in Pune highlight the significant knowledge gaps that existed before Ujaas’ intervention. Recent data from Ujaas reveals that only 57% of students could correctly identify what a menstrual cycle is, 31.48% of girls believed menstrual blood was impure, fewer than 19% knew how frequently to change sanitary materials, and just 50% understood the health risks of poor hygiene during menstruation. Following Ujaas’ engagement, these numbers saw dramatic improvements, some by over 500% demonstrating the profound impact of sustained, localized education in dismantling long-held myths and misconceptions around menstruation.
Established in 2021, Ujaas has been on a mission to reduce period poverty and empower young girls and women with knowledge, access, and dignity. The initiative has already reached over 5.9 lakh individuals, distributed more than 4.9 million sanitary pads, and conducted 18,000+ awareness sessions across Maharashtra. Its Menstrual Health Express, a mobile outreach unit, has travelled more than 10,000 kilometres to spread awareness in 25 states and 106 cities.
