Addressing Educational Barriers: Period Education Talks and Resource Outreach

Access to menstruation products can decrease risks of higher absenteeism rates for school age girls

By Lauren Taylor, FORA Communications Intern

For many girls, period pain and lack of menstrual support can quietly interfere with school, sports and daily routines. 

For refugee students who may have been denied a formal education, additional absences from menstrual pain, medically known as dysmenorrhea, can be catastrophic to attendance, further inhibiting their educational access. 

A large adolescent menstrual health study found that 26% of girls reported missing school because of their menstrual symptoms, and severe pain disrupting their daily lives. 

FORA’s Director of Family School Partnership (FSP) program, Yasmeen Al-Resheq, has noticed that periods are a sensitive topic for the students and families she works with on a daily basis. 

“Periods are a taboo topic, and they can impact school attendance and academic performance,” Al-Resheq said. “But it’s not always addressed. It’s just ‘She’s sick.’ ” 

The taboo nature of menstruation for young girls extends into classroom performance. Research published by the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology found that, despite the negative impact on academic performance, sixty percent of young women at school would not speak to teaching staff about menstruation. 

Al-Resheq noticed a similar trend with FORA students.

“They’re not constantly talking about it, so it gets labeled as sickness, or ‘I don’t feel good’. Al-Resheq said. “Sometimes even the moms were brought up to think that this is shameful.” 

Beyond the silence surrounding menstruation, some students also face practical barriers. One issue that Al-Resheq noted is not being able to access the proper products. 

For some students, pain and discomfort extend beyond school attendance into after-school activities, FORA attendance, and sports. “It's a week that I'm sure is harder for them than it could be for other girls their age,” she said.

“I can think of an example where a young girl has been having a hard time joining after-school sports because she’s afraid that she’s going to leak through, so she steps out of the game,” Al-Resheq said.

Research supports Al-Resheq’s observations. The MDOT study found that approximately 24% of adolescent girls reported moderate to high interference with school attendance to physical participation. 

To address both stigma and access, FORA hosted an informational session in November 2025 with the mothers of female students from 4th grade and above, aimed at providing both guidance and a 3-month supply of period products. 

The talk was hosted by ​​Nausheen Zaidi and Farah Cheema, two female and Muslim OBGYNs who also serve on FORA’s board. According to Al-Resheq, these qualifications “Checked a lot of the boxes for our moms.” 

This talk was aimed at addressing ways that the mothers can speak with their daughters, what they can expect, and how they can go about handling some potentially challenging aspects of menstruation. 

Since the informational session, FORA’s FSP team hosted an additional drive to provide families with period products. 

FORA’s mission to diminish academic barriers for refugee youth extends beyond academic support. With the support of the community, FORA can continue addressing students’ needs and minimize challenges in accessing classrooms.

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