Girls at the six primary schools we support are happy to have access to the female-only toilets which have been built to provide them with a private space during their periods so that they don’t have to miss school. Typically, many girls miss a week of school each month because of their periods but during a recent survey 90% of mothers and their daughters said that if they had access to a washroom facility and toilet, they would be able to change at school.

Paulina, Trennice, Mariam, Esnat and Axa attend Kazandu school and said that because they use rags, they would normally have to miss school during their periods. Pauline said, “Before I would miss seven days of school but now, I can use this bathroom discreetly and I don’t miss class. It’s really good. There is soap, and we collect water in the morning. All the girls have access to this bathroom when they need it.”

Across the six primary schools there are currently more than 2,000 female students who will benefit from using the menstrual toilets.