Launch of Her Education: Karonga

Girls of Mzati Primary School

Think Malawi is thrilled to be taking part in the Big Give week from 22nd June to 29th June! We are raising £4,000 for 1,000 school girls, our largest campaign since 2020.

Donate to Her Education: Karonga here.

In Malawi, girls face challenges that make staying in school extremely difficult. Absence of menstrual products, lack of safe sanitation facilities, and limited access to learning resources can derail education, causing girls to miss up to five days of school every month.

Think Malawi and our Malawian Partner organisation Fountain of Hope are focusing this project on 1,000 girls in the Karonga District across two schools: Lufilya Community Day Secondary School (400 girls) and Mzinga Primary Schools (600 girls), where we can address the urgent menstrual hygiene management (MHM) needs of the schools.

The Fountain of Hope has worked in the area since 2018 and worked alongside local community to design individualised approaches for the needs of both schools:

• Lufilya Community Day Secondary School: While the girls receive training and products to support menstrual hygiene management (MHM) , they have nowhere private to change. Together we can fund the construction of two new changing rooms to give the girls the privacy they deserve.

• Mzinga Primary School: Girls lack access to sanitary products, forcing many to stay at home during their menstrual cycle. This causes them to fall behind in school, frequently leading to school dropouts, early marriage, and other vulnerabilities. We will help them access and learn to produce reusable sanitary pads.

Girls at Lufilya Community Day Secondary Schol

Every action has been decided alongside local students, community members, mother groups, and local government to ensure long-term, community-led sustainability.

Shora, Executive Director of the Fountain of Hope, shared his vision for the project:

"Success will mean that girls will attend school consistently, improved academic performance and the empowerment of mothers [at Mzinga Primary School] who can create uniforms and sanitary pads without the project"

The project has a series of key aims that it looks to achieve with your support:

• Increased attendance: Reduce girls' absenteeism caused by menstruation by 60% and increase overall retention rates by 70% across both schools.

• Improved facilities: Provide 400 girls at Lufilya CDSS with a safe, private, and hygienic learning environment.

• Access to products: Ensure 600 girls at Mzinga Primary have access to sanitary pads and MHM information.

• Reduced stigma: Break the silence and taboos surrounding menstruation for 1,000 girls and the wider community.

• Sustainability: Create a long-term, sustainable source of sanitary pads at Mzinga Primary through the trained mothers' group.

• Community-level impact: Improve knowledge of MHM and SRH for an estimated 10,000 parents and local leaders.

• Reduced risk: Lower the rates of child marriage, unwanted pregnancies, and school dropouts for 1,000 girls.

  
  

Mother group at Mzati Primary School who will produce sanitary pads

Ultimately, Think Malawi's goal is to help these girls stay in education so they never have to miss days or drop out of school simply because of their period.

This project doesn't just protect a girl's right to an education: it promotes dignity, empowerment, environmental care, and long-term community growth. Your donation is an investment in their futures.

Donate and help 1,000 girls in Malawi access the education they deserve!