Removing barriers to education for girls through improved menstrual health and hygiene management services
The project started in November 2022 and is continuing until October 2023 with Think Malawi supporting the Fountain of Hope in providing menstrual health management resources to girls in Malawi.
The overall objectives of the project are to provide menstrual health management resources to 300 girls, at Lufilya Community Day Secondary School, increasing the number of students able to continue to attend school during their menstruation.
Since the beginning of the project the Fountain of Hope has made significant progress towards this overall objective, These include:
Held 3 introductory meetings with the district executive committee, village development committee and stakeholders meeting in the área from 26th October 2022 to 28 October 2022 enabling access to sexual and reproductive health services and increasing understanding of menstrual health and hygiene management.
Formed a girls club of 10 members who were trained as ambassadors in menstrual health management and sexual reproductive health in November 2022 and assisted in mentoring girls and boys from other schools.
In November 2022, trained 20 girls and 13 boys on where and how to access the sexual reproductive health services in their area.
In December 2022 held an interface meeting between health service providers and girls of Lufilya Community Day Secondary School where the girls shared their grievances with health service with the providers who are looking to acknowledge and address these issues.
Provided family conditioned support to at least 25 households with girls going to school including writing material, sewing materials and start-up capital for group village savings and loan services. 25 Women have undergone business training and started generating income for their household individually or in groups, some using their new skills to make uniforms.
In December 2022 10 mothers’ of students from Lufilya Community Day Secondary School were trained to support girls during their menstrual periods
2 tailoring machines were provided in November 2022 to allow for sewing of face masks, sanitary pads, uniforms and clothes.
10 mothers from the Lufilya Community Day Secondary School were trained in tailoring and designing in a 3 month period from November to February. They became experts in sanitary pad production and produced over 900 sanitary pads in a two month period with the majority given to students.
Held 2 community awareness campaigns events in November 2022 and February 2023 to support girls in education through giving them access to sexual reproductive health services and understanding their menstrual health.
These are the latest updates from the project from March with the next update due at the end of the project in October. These actions have seen a positive reaction not only from the local community but also from other communities and leaders locally.
Think Malawi partners with Malawi NGOs and CBOs on Menstrual Health Management projects such as Her Education Matters with organisations like Hope for Relief, and African Vision Malawi, to provide girls with the resources and support they need to better manage their menstrual health, and to them attend school during menstruation, and increasing the opportunity for a better education.
By making a donation, or by joining Think Malawi Together to make regular contributions as little as £5 per month, you can help improve the health, wellbeing, and education of girls in Malawi. Your donations can have a positive impact on the lives of girls in Malawi, and contribute to their overall development.
Click here to see how previous projects by Think Malawi have improved access to education for girls and young people in Malawi.