Page 7 - WATER SECTOR MAGAZINE VOLUME 3

ENHANCING GIRLS’ EDUCATION THROUGH

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT

Chisomo with her friends taking part in the 2017 Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) day

By BRIAN MULENGA support and a lack of menstrual hygiene The school sanitation blocks include
WATER FOR PEOPLE management facilities at schools–including changing rooms for girls and incinerators
In most parts of Malawi, issues of soap, pads, pain-relieving medicine, and for sanitary pads, as well as soap and
menstruation and menstrual hygiene are clean water–hinder girls’ school attendance. clean water at hand-washing stations. In
viewed as secret topics. Any information addition to infrastructure and menstrual
around menstruation is only discussed Concerned with such a situation, Water For hygiene management materials, both boys
when a girl reaches puberty, and often People decided to come to the rescue of the and girls are educated about maintaining
when she unknowingly stains her clothes girl-child with the objective of keeping the the sanitation infrastructure and about
when she gets her first period. girl-child in school beyond puberty. menstruation. Students in the school
sanitation clubs in Blantyre are now leading
This initial embarrassing moment is one “Water for People Malawi in partnership advocacy activities to influence government
of the many that could contribute to with Blantyre Urban District Education and other stakeholders to ensure every
girls’ regular absentism from school after Office is working towards creating a school in Malawi has adequate menstrual
reaching puberty. After they get their conducive environment for a girl-child hygiene management facilities.
periods, many girls undergo a traditional to thrive in her education,” says Water for
initiation ceremony that prepares them People Country Director Kate Harawa. “We don’t need to fear coming to school
for womanhood, where they learn about Water For People, an international when we have our periods,” says Chisomo,
BWB CEO Henry Bakuwa. menstruation and menstrual hygiene. In nonprofit organization, is supporting 20 a girl in Standard 7 at Chimwankhunda
many cases, these ceremonies take a girl public primary schools in Blantyre through Primary School. “I am excited that we now
away from school for several days. But the construction of girl-friendly sanitation have an opportunity as girls to say what we
even after this initial ceremony, inadequate facilities. want to enhance our education.”
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