Kathmandu, Aug. 13 -- Milan Chhetri was 12 when his period first arrived. In his home in Dailekh, Karnali Province, the tradition was clear: anyone who menstruated did not stay in the house. For five days, he had to live with his sister. He could not see his father, his brothers or his grandfather. Back then, he did not have the language for what he knew about himself. He only knew that what was happening to his body felt like a punishment for something he had not done.

More than a decade later, Milan, now 24, still menstruates. He works as a social mobiliser in Thantikandh Rural Municipality, visiting schools as a part of his work. He gets his menstrual products from the schools as finding them in the market is not simple, and buying th...