Help End Period Poverty and Keep 1,000 Girls in School in Malawi

Her Education Matters Karonga: Fountain of Hope Menstrual Hygiene Management Project

Getting your first period is a life changing moment. Imagine the added complications of not having access to sanitary products. Unfortunately, that is too often the case for many girls in rural Malawi, and getting their period can mean missing school, falling behind in lessons, and in some cases leaving education altogether.

Without access to sanitary products, private changing spaces, or menstrual health education, menstruation becomes another barrier standing between girls and their futures.

Through the Her Education Matters campaign, we are raising £4,000 to support 1,000 schoolgirls across two schools in Karonga District, Northern Malawi. Thanks to successful match funding through Big Give, every donation could have twice the impact.

Working alongside our trusted local partner, Fountain of Hope (FOHOP), this project will provide girls with safe sanitation facilities, reusable sanitary pads, menstrual hygiene education, and long-term community support so they can continue their education with dignity and confidence.

Why This Project Matters

Period poverty remains one of the most overlooked barriers to girl education in Africa.

At Mzinga Primary School, the challenge is different but equally urgent.

More than 600 girls are at risk of absenteeism, school dropout, child marriage, and early pregnancy because they cannot afford sanitary pads and lack access to menstrual health education.

FOHOP reports:

“There are over 600 girls at risk of facing child marriages and school dropouts due to continued absenteeism during menstruation periods because they cannot afford to buy sanitary pads.”

At Lufilya Community Day Secondary School, more than 400 girls have already received menstrual hygiene management (MHM) education. However, they still have nowhere private or hygienic to change during their periods.

According to FOHOP:

“These girls struggle to change their pads because there is no change room at the school. Instead, they go to houses close to the school to use for changing their pads. This means that the learning environment is not conducive to girls during menstruation periods.”

No girl should miss school because of her period. Yet across Malawi and many parts of Africa, this remains a daily reality.

What Your Support Will Fund

The Fountain of Hope Menstrual Hygiene Management Project has been designed directly by the schools, mothers’ groups, local leaders, and girls themselves to address the specific challenges faced in each community. Start Supporting

At Lufilya CDSS, we will:

• Build one dedicated sanitation block

• Construct two private girls’ changing rooms

• Build two toilets for girls

• Create a safer, more hygienic learning environment for 400 girls

At Mzinga Primary School, we will:

• Train 10 mothers in tailoring and reusable sanitary pad production

• Provide four sewing machines and start-up materials

• Produce reusable sanitary pads for 600 girls

• Deliver menstrual hygiene management education

• Provide sexual and reproductive health awareness training

Across both schools, girls and boys will receive education on menstrual health, reproductive health, dignity, and stigma reduction. We will also hold community awareness sessions with parents, teachers, health workers, and local leaders to help break taboos surrounding menstruation and support girls’ rights to education.

Sustainable Solutions to Period Poverty

This project is about more than simply distributing sanitary products. It is about creating long-term, community-led change. The reusable sanitary pad programme at Mzinga Primary School is designed to become self-sustaining. Mothers trained through the project will continue producing affordable reusable pads locally, ensuring girls can access menstrual products long after the project ends.

The “train the trainer” model also means skills can continue to spread throughout the community. Girls’ clubs established through the project will continue advocating for menstrual hygiene management and sexual and reproductive health rights. The School Management Committees and local leaders have already committed to managing and maintaining the facilities after construction is complete.

Proven Experience and Community Leadership

This project builds on years of successful work by both Think Malawi and FOHOP.

Think Malawi has previously funded Her Education Matters projects that provide reusable pads and changing facilities to help girls remain in school. The charity also has extensive experience supporting water, sanitation, and educational initiatives in rural Malawi.

FOHOP has experience constructing sanitation facilities and girls’ changing rooms at Namwiyo Primary School, delivered education programmes, provided training coursed and worked directly with communities across Karonga District since 2018.

Therefore, this project builds on proven solutions that are already changing lives. However the fact that the need for this project was identified by the girls, teachers, mothers’ groups, and local leaders themselves means that local ownership is what will make this work sustainable and impactful.

The Difference Your Donation Could Make

This project aims to achieve measurable, life-changing outcomes for 1,000 girls in one year.

With your support, we aim to:

• Reduce absenteeism caused by menstruation by 60%

• Increase school retention rates by 70%

• Provide 400 girls with safe sanitation facilities

• Ensure 600 girls have access to reusable sanitary pads

• Reduce stigma surrounding menstruation across the wider community

• Lower risks of child marriage, early pregnancy, and school dropout

The wider community impact could reach more than 10,000 parents, teachers, and local leaders through awareness and education activities. Every donation helps remove barriers preventing girls from accessing education.