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How you can make a difference to girls education in Malawi

Teaching Pupils to sew sanitary pads at Likulu Primary School, beneficiaries of MHM project funded by Think Malawi, project implemented by Umodzi Youth Organisation

You can help us give young girls in Malawi the best possible chance of completing school and fulfilling their potential. opportunity to fulfil their potential and attend primary and secondary schools.

 

Only 51% of girls in Malawi complete primary school and 15% drop out during primary school (1). Girls drop out of school for many reasons. A key challenge is that many girls miss up to five days of school each month during their periods, as they often do not have access to sanitary pads or changing facilities at school. Other reasons include: having to care for younger family members, being pressured to work at home, pregnancy, and child marriage. Not being able to afford equipment and uniforms is another problem.

A girl using changing room at LikuluPrimary School, funded by Think Malawi, project implem

“We were absent from school due to lack of sanitary pads. Now we are happy that we will not miss classes any more.”

From a female pupil at Likulu Primary School after the completion of the Her Education Matters Umodzi project, funded by Think Malawi.

What can I do?

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Over 90% of all donations go directly to the educational projects in Malawi which we support.

 

Here are examples of what one-off donations could pay for:

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  • To train 1 child in sexual and reproductive health and rights: £18

  • Training of 1 mother’s group representative aiming at the prevention of denial of Sexual and Reproductive Health and MHM services to girls: £24

  • 1 sewing machine for use in sewing uniforms or could be used for sewing sanitary pads and income generation: £111

  • Hardcover and soft cover notebooks and pens for 20 learners: £38

  • Upkeep allowance for 1 teacher to conduct remedial extra classes during weekends for 1 term: £55

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Regular donations enable us to plan ahead with the projects we support. Here are examples of what regular donations could pay for:

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  • Up keep allowance for 1 teacher to conduct extra literacy classes at weekends: £14 per month

  • 5 days of training each year for 10 Mothers group members to use sewing machines to make reusable sanitary pads for girls: £10 per month


Funds will be spent according to the needs of the beneficiaries and projects we support at the time. Exchange rates and costs of materials in Malawi fluctuate frequently, so these amounts, calculated in November 2023, are estimations only.​

Below are a few examples of projects that our supporters have funded to directly address the challenges which girls face in their education.

Fountain of Hope MHM project

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With our local partner, Fountain of Hope we raised the community awareness of 5000 Malawians on the importance of both Sexual Reproductive Health and Menstrual Health Management including 300 girls at the Lufilya Community Secondary School (2)

Girls education project at Mzuzu prison girls school, funded by Think Malawi, implemented by STRADE
Helping Girls in prison to complete their education

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At the Mzuzu Prison Girls Secondary School we worked with Malawian partners STRADE (Stimulus for Transformational Development) including the supplying of 5 sewing machines, soap-making workshops, donation of educational materials and a girls education awareness campaign. This contributed to the pass rate increasing to 80% in 2023 from 40%, a reduction in the dropout of 80% and a 67% increase in enrolment.

Girls at Likulu Primary School
Changing rooms and reusable pads for girls at Likulu Primary School

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To tackle MHM issues at Likulu Primary school, we funded activities which included (3):

  • 8 girls' changing rooms were constructed

  • 700 girls received sanitary pads

  • 90 girls trained in menstrual hygiene management (MHM), and each was encouraged to instruct three others

  • 4 sewing machines were provided

  • 10 mothers were trained to use sewing machines

 

These measures contributed to the following improvements for the school:

  • Girls' enrolment doubled

  • 95.7% of girls attended school during the month of measurement, surpassing the project's target of 92.4%.

  • 29 dropout cases were identified, beating the target of 35.

  • In the end-of-project survey, 93% of the girls reported that they were effectively practising MHM

You can help us enable girls in Malawi to fulfil their ambitions, which many in Malawi do not get the opportunity to do. Please donate today to support girls education in Malawi.

 

Monthly donations provide vital ongoing support for our projects, and you can also make one-off donations if you prefer.​

References

  1. Chikhungu, L, et al. 2020. Tackling girls dropping out of school in Malawi: Is improving household socio-economic status the solution? Available at: Tackling girls dropping out of school in Malawi: Is improving household socio-economic status the solution? - ScienceDirect

  2. Think Malawi. 2023 October. Fountain of Hope and Think Malawi unite to provide menstrual health management resources to girls. Available at: www.thinkmalawi.org/post/fountain-of-hope-and-think-malawi-unite-to-provide-menstrual-health-management-resources-to-girls

  3. Think Malawi. 2023 March. Empowering girls and women in Malawi through the Her Education Matters Umodzi project. Available at: www.thinkmalawi.org/post/enhancing-the-lives-of-girls-and-women-in-malawi-through-the-her-education-matters-umodzi-project

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