An 11-year-old girl from Ahmedabad tries to overcome the taboo surrounding menstruation by developing an app allowing females to have greater access to information.

While menstruation is a perfectly normal biological function, it is also a taboo subject in our society for a variety of reasons. Menstruation can be a very difficult time of the month for young girls. Because of the taboos surrounding the subject, it is difficult for young girls who are going through menstruation to find information that would help them comprehend the changes their bodies go through at that time of the month. Aayesha Goyal, an 11-year-old girl from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, noticed her friends battling with the same problem and decided to create an app called ‘Free Flo,’ which is an easy-to-use, one-stop-destination for vital information on menstruation and also allows girls to track their cycle.

“Young girls often find it very difficult to talk to adults about menstruation,” WhiteHat Jr pupil Aayesha Goyal remarked about the app. Because of the taboo surrounding the subject, they have few opportunities to ask a trusted adult all of their questions about the menstrual cycle. My peers have struggled to understand why their bodies are changing in the way they are. They were curious but didn’t know where to look for answers. In fact, the majority of menstruation apps are oriented toward adult women rather than young girls. That’s how I came up with the idea for an app that would serve as a repository for menstrual health information. I also created extra features, such as tracking period dates and a chatbot to answer questions about menstruation-related symptoms including backache, acne, and cramps.” 

Parna Mehta, Aayesha’s mentor at WhiteHat Jr who supported her while developing the app said, “Aayesha is an extremely perceptive child. She empathized with the problems faced by some of her friends and worked hard to offer a solution. The app ‘Free Flo’ is simple yet extremely interesting as it provides easy access and information to young girls. I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to guide Aayesha in this purpose-led project.”