GREVEO Project: Njenga Primary and Secondary School

Think Malawi is working alongside Green Vision Environmental Organisation (GREVEO) in Malawi to reduce menstrual-related absenteeism for girls in education in the Karonga District.

The project is making progress in improving menstrual health support for girls at both Njenga Primary and Secondary schools, with changing room construction underway and reusable sanitary pads already being produced and distributed.

Since the project began, training on reusable sanitary pad production has been completed, while sewing machines that will aid towards producing the pads sustainably are on their way.

The schools have been highly supportive of the project, while the Mother Groups have taken an active role in producing reusable sanitary pads. Following their training, the groups are now able to make pads without supervision from the trainer.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/403aeb_a563e816464a4729b86d830ae18ec391/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Mothers training on sewing machines to produce sanitary pads.

So far, 100 reusable sanitary pads have been produced and distributed, with 50 pads provided to each school.

The project has also helped encourage more open conversations around menstrual health. Girls are now openly discussing menstrual health issues, which had been an issue before engagement took place.

What happens next?

The next stage of the project will focus on completing the changing rooms and expanding reusable sanitary pad production.

The changing room roofing will be completed, with construction expected to be finished by October.

The project will also increase the rate of pad production, with the aim of reaching 500 beneficiaries in total.

The importance of community involvement

Community involvement has been essential to the progress of the project so far. The District Education Network has also provided guidance on which personnel to engage with within the local education team.

The project is also making spare fabric available for girls to use to clothe themselves when menstruating, providing an additional form of practical support.

With the changing rooms nearing completion and pad production already underway, the GREVEO project is continuing to build practical and community-led support for girls’ menstrual health.

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