CASE STUDY 15
Women’s Leadership for Climate-Resilient Menstrual Health
Nepal
Context
Nepal’s geography and socio-cultural fabric make women’s health and rights highly vulnerable to climate change. Extreme weather events such as flash floods, droughts, and heatwaves compound existing inequities, while entrenched patriarchal norms perpetuate harmful practices like Chhaupadi (banishing menstruating women to sheds). Girls and women face severe barriers in accessing menstrual hygiene products, safe sanitation, and reproductive health services, leading to school absenteeism, poor health outcomes, and systemic exclusion. ICA Nepal recognized that these challenges cannot be addressed in isolation but must be confronted at the intersection of climate justice and SRHR.
Organization
The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) Nepal is an NGO established over two decades ago, dedicated to building human capacity and promoting participatory development. As part of a global ICA network, the Nepal chapter has evolved from a focus on literacy and women’s empowerment to leading innovative programming at the intersection of climate resilience and SRHR.
Approach
ICA Nepal has pioneered integrated approaches that bridge climate resilience with SRHR, particularly menstrual health. Its Let’s Talk Periods campaign addresses taboos, raises awareness in schools and communities, and mobilizes women’s groups to challenge stigma. ICA has also established low-cost sanitary napkin production units run by women’s cooperatives, simultaneously improving menstrual health access and generating livelihoods.
Beyond menstrual health, ICA Nepal collaborated with USAID and Panorama Global to develop curricula and training that connect climate change and SRHR. Through mentoring and capacity development, the organization supports women leaders across provinces in creating and implementing local action plans that address family planning, reproductive rights, and climate resilience.
ICA also works with informal women sanitation and waste workers—among the most marginalized populations—to highlight how climate shocks and unsafe working conditions intersect with health vulnerabilities. By using personal narratives and participatory workshops, ICA brings these invisible challenges into policy and advocacy spaces.
Results to Date
ICA Nepal has conducted menstrual hygiene management workshops in schools and communities, reaching more than 2,000 girls directly and mobilizing women’s groups across rural districts.
Low-cost sanitary napkin units established with women’s cooperatives have enhanced local access to affordable products while generating income for women entrepreneurs.
ICA has implemented a curriculum on SRHR and climate intersectionality, strengthening women’s networks and leadership in provincial planning processes. ICA has fostered ten locally driven action plans created by women leaders that integrate family planning, reproductive rights, and climate adaptation strategies.
“Our work evolved from literacy and income generation to addressing climate change directly. We realized women’s health cannot be separated from the climate challenges they face every day. We are mentoring women leaders to design their own action plans. This way, communities themselves decide how to link reproductive health with climate resilience.”
ISHU SUBBA
Executive Chair, ICA Nepal
PDF Innovative Approaches to Addressing Climate Change Impacts on Sexual & Reproductive Health: Case Studies from Around the World