Kathmandu, Dec. 31 -- Sixteen-year-old Sabita misses two to four days of school every month. As an eleventh grader at the Satdobato-based Mahendra Adarsha Vidyashram community school, this can cause problems with attendance and her courses. But Sabita feels she has no choice, since her school doesn't have the sanitation facilities she requires during her monthly menstruation cycle.

"At home, I have access to a proper toilet with running water and a regular supply of sanitary pads," said Sabita. "The school toilets don't have a regular supply of water and I feel uncomfortable wearing the same sanitary pad all day."

The toilets in Sabita's school don't have proper taps or soap. And since two of the women's toilets don't have dustbins, Sab...