Keep 1000 Malawi Girls in School Through WASH

Access to adequate sanitation facilities in Malawi’s primary schools is a big challenge. Only 23% of the schools have adequate sanitation facilities, which impacts young girls the most. Lack of changing rooms in schools means that they stay home during the menstruation period, which is at least one week of absenteeism per month. Continuous absenteeism discourages girls from continuing their education and end up dropping out of school.

To ensure girls remain in school, the Gift of the Givers constructs changing rooms and toilets in rural primary schools. Phanda Primary School in Ngozo village, Mwanza district has an enrolment of 973 students, 59% of whom are girls.

However, the school had inadequate toilets and no changing rooms for the girls. Gift of the Givers constructed six toilets and two changing rooms at this school, ensuring girls have a decent and safe space for their menstrual hygiene. The funds raised went towards this project and contributed 15% of the changing room constructed at Phanda Primary School.

One of the girls from Standard 8, Evelyn said: "We spend long hours at school doing extra classes as we are about to write Primary School Leaving Certificate exams. We come to school as early as 6am and leave at 6pm. Without the changing rooms, it was very difficult to stay at school for such long hours while menstruating. Now we have these changing rooms and we are not worried about long hours at school anymore.”