Menstrual sanitation is deeply tied to an adolescent girl’s sense of identity and sexuality. It is an essential navigator into other aspects of life, including health and education. To address the growing disproportion of girls who are out-of-school children, implementing such a program can become the beginning of a growing educational program that properly tackles the issue of MHM and the stigma surrounding it while also helping empower girls by assisting in providing them an education, a teamwork ethic, and a voice to be able to advocate for themselves, form supportive networks in their local communities, gain access to resources, and spread awareness beyond the program.

We want our program to serve as an engaging introduction into the sciences for young girls. Using menstrual science to inspire a curiosity about science and biology and how it relates to them and their lives. What is the role of research in creating solutions for issues regarding menstrual and reproductive health? From Harvard researchers who have given lectures on current advancements on the role of endometerial cells in revealing deeper understandings of cells’ capacity to regenerate to OBGYN residents who taught our students about cervical cancer and the role of vaccinations and pap smears to combat this disease, we want to change the narrative that menstrual and reproductive health is only relevant to pregnancy, but instead, is a field of knowledge that if engaged, can make us stronger.

Menstrual education is more than just a sanitary pad. It is the right to feel comfortable in your body. To know that menstruation does not make you strange. AMI gives our students the language to communicate their health needs in any setting. Whether in the classroom, at home, or in a doctor’s office, AMI empowers and teaches our students how to be their best advocates and own their bodies. This confidence transcends into their education, their leadership abilities, and their friendships with one another.