Metro Roundup: Vestavia Hills students aims to provide menstrual products, education globally

Sixteen-year-old Reena Ramani, a Vestavia Hills High School student, is making an impact locally and globally through her own nonprofit, Project Menstrual Equity. 

Ramani said her decision to start a nonprofit program began with her cultural background and upbringing.

“Growing up, menstruation, in my culture and other cultures around the world, has been a topic that has been off-limits. It was inappropriate to discuss, even around other women. Men in the family shouldn’t know about that topic, either,” Ramani said.

“Even being an American, living in the U.S., it kind of astounded me. It made me realize that when women in other places around the world have issues during menstruation or problems getting products they need, they don’t have anywhere to go or anyone to talk to because it is such a stigmatized subject,” she said.

Ramani said the privileges afforded her as an American and a Vestavia Hills resident made her realize that she could use her position to help others who were not as privileged.

“After talking to my grandmom and mom about it, realizing it is still an ongoing issue, I decided I want to fix it,” she said.

Ramani started Project Menstrual Equity, or Project ME for short, as an international nonprofit initiative, with a mission to provide supplies to girls and women who experience period poverty, especially in rural communities in the United States and abroad.

Period poverty is a lack of education and resources to properly care for menstrual cycles. It often causes girls to miss school repeatedly, which puts them behind their male peers in countries where education is often difficult for females to obtain in the first place.

“We provide a sustainable, low-cost, hygienic solution to women who lack the proper resources for menstrual health,” Ramani said. “When they don’t have these solutions, they often use items that are not hygienic and can cause problems for them in the future.”

Ramani said her only issue with taking her nonprofit global is her time. When she graduates from high school, she wants to pursue a degree in global health. She has learned, through working with her partners at Project ME, that one of the ways she can institute change is through policies and administration.

Dr. Wally Carlo, a mentor for Project ME and the chair of neonatology at UAB, is taking Ramani to Zambia this summer.

“We are going to hand-deliver the products, and, hopefully while I’m there, I’ll be able to do some research and get a better grasp on global health to see if this is something I really want to do,” she said.

Ramani said she cares about supporting women through all facets of Project ME. Her materials for the menstruation products are sourced through a company called Soch Green, which is based in India and helmed by women.

“Their mission aligns with my values of upholding [the importance of] women’s health and women’s empowerment. They really helped me determine what kind of product I want to manufacture for women,” she said.

The products are made with multiple hygienic layers that are easy to clean and long-lasting.

Locally, Ramani has spoken at area GirlSpring and Key Club events about period poverty, and she hopes that, as awareness is spread about Project ME, they will be able to elevate the level of menstrual education in her local community.

Ramani said fundraising is currently the biggest need for Project ME.

“Our materials are outsourced, and a lot of that money [we raise] goes to shipping costs,” she said.

Though the initiative has become increasingly successful with each passing year, Ramani said she knows the work is not over until all women have equal access to education and products that will meet their needs, especially when it comes to menstrual health.

For more information on Project ME and ways to support the initiative, visit projectmeinternational.com.