The Period Garden Project

 The Period Garden Project is an innovative project that uses permaculture gardens at Ugandan schools to combat menstrual stigma.

Through hands-on garden workshops, girls, boys, teachers and parents learn about menstrual health, local plants, nutrition, reusable pad-making and how to better support girls during menstruation.

This project turns the garden into more than a food-growing space. It becomes a place for dignity, dialogue, learning and social change.

The Problem

In many rural communities, menstruation is still treated as something shameful, dirty or taboo. This stigma affects girls’ confidence, mental health, school attendance and participation in everyday life.

Before the project, 82% of girls GOT surveyed reported stigma surrounding menstruation, and 66% reported missing school because of their period.

Our Approach

We use permaculture design principles to create female-centred gardens that support menstrual health and education.

Participants learn how local plants can support wellbeing, how banana fiber can be used to make reusable menstrual pads, and how boys, parents and teachers can play a role in reducing stigma.

Rather than treating menstruation as a “girls-only issue,” the project brings the wider school community into the conversation.

The Impact

During testing, the project created measurable change:

  • Menstrual stigma dropped from 82% to 20%

  • Girls missing school due to menstruation dropped from 66% to 18%

  • Boys comfortable discussing menstruation increased from 31% to 90%

  • Girls reported increased confidence, self-esteem and support

Why Gardens?

Gardens are familiar, practical and deeply connected to daily life in rural Uganda.

By using the garden as the learning space, the project connects menstrual health to food, ecology, local knowledge and community care. It also makes the solution low-cost, visual, hands-on and rooted in the local environment.

Many menstrual health projects focus on distributing products. The Period Garden Project goes deeper. It addresses the social stigma, misinformation and silence that prevent girls from feeling safe, confident and supported.

The Period Garden Project is a regenerative approach to dignity, education and menstrual health.