Every month I used to miss two or three days of school. I told my teachers I was sick. The truth is that I did not have pads, and I was too ashamed to say so. I used old cloth and spent the whole day afraid to stand up.
When the Smile Drive team came to our school, they did not just hand out kits. They sat with us, girls only, and talked openly about periods: what is normal, how to stay clean, and that there is nothing shameful about any of it. One of them told us about her own first period and we all laughed together.
For the first time, my body was not a secret I had to hide.
I received a reusable kit that I still use. I have not missed a day because of my period this term, and I have started explaining things to my younger sister so she never has to feel the way I did.
