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Today, marked by the United Nations, is International Day of the Girl Child, a day to recognise girls’ rights and the challenges girls face around the world as we work together towards Gender Equality, one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during their formative years but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported and educated, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers.

Improving Gender Equality

At African Adventures, we are working towards improving gender quality through education, ensuring both equal opportunity for girls and boys to reach their full potential at school.

The Good Period – Kenya

Around one million girls in Kenya miss some of their education each month because of a lack of sanitary products, and worst still, 25% of girls drop out of school altogether by the time they reach puberty.

To help combat this, we launched ‘The Good Period’ to eliminate period poverty at our partner schools so that girls and boys can enjoy equal access to education and all the opportunities it brings.

200 girls across three of our partner schools receive a monthly supply of sanitary pads so they can attend school and not miss out on vital education. As well as providing access to essential products, educational workshops have been introduced for the students, to improve their knowledge and understanding of menstrual health management, helping girls to feel confident in managing their menstruation and enjoy their education without worry.

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Students at Ungana Academy receiving their monthly supply of sanitary pads.

85% of girls surveyed at The Walk Centre now feel confident knowing the physical changes a girl’s body goes through during puberty, whereas previously, only 44% felt confident before The Good Period.

“Every girl should be able to manage this very normal process in comfort and dignity, and it is appalling that girls are having to miss school because they simply don’t have the tools or education to manage their period. Through The Good Period, by providing sanitary pads to all girls of a menstrual age, we hope that girls will have the confidence and means to enjoy equal access to education like their male counterparts.” Rachel, African Adventures Fundraising Manager.

WASH Programme – Zanzibar

Inadequate toilet facilities, combined with a lack of understanding of good hygiene practices, have a massive impact on children’s education in Africa, with attendance being markedly impacted by illness. Girls also have low confidence due to a lack of knowledge, products and support to manage their menstrual health, leading to reduced attendance.

Our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme provides equal opportunity for girls and boys to reach their full potential at school through the construction of better sanitation facilities and access to clean water to create an environment that’s more conducive to learning. Alongside the construction work, educational workshops have been introduced for the students to improve their knowledge and understanding of good hygiene and menstrual health management.

16,000 students at three of our partner schools in Zanzibar are already benefiting from the project, where 37 latrines, 12 hand washing stations and three menstrual health management rooms have been built. Teachers across the three schools have also been trained to make reusable sanitary pads for the students. Last year, over 930 pads were made and distributed.

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The new toilet block that was constructed at Kijito School. 

Before the WASH programme was rolled out at Kinuni School, only 27% of girls felt confident managing menstruation. In March 2024, the girls retook the survey, and 100% of them now either agree or strongly agree that they feel confident managing menstruation.

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Students at Fuoni School, attending a menstrual health management workshop.

“The pad programme gave me awareness and built confidence to study freely during my period.” Aisha Mohamed Haji, Kinuni Student.

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WASH Programme – Ghana

After the success of the WASH Programme in Zanzibar, African Adventures Foundation was awarded funding to continue this vital work at our partner schools in Ghana.

So far, the WASH Programme has been rolled out to two of our partner schools, Dornorgbor School and Ashata School. The first stage, construction of the toilet blocks and menstrual health management rooms, has been completed and will help improve the health and hygiene standards for over 1,330 students.

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The new toilet block that was constructed at Dornorgbor School.

Before, Ashata had only five latrine toilets: two for boys, two for girls, and one for the teachers. The toilet block had no roof or hygiene facilities, making it unusable.

For the next phase at Dornorgbor School and Ashata School, African Adventures Foundation is exploring the delivery of hygiene and Menstrual Health Management workshops and the provision of sanitary pads, working together with Tegbi Clinic to support the students on how best to use the facilities provided.

At African Adventures, we aim to achieve a more sustainable future for all through our work, and we are committed to driving 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, which is essential to ensure global progression. Through African Adventures Foundations’ programmes and the work our volunteers carry out, our goal is to empower children through education and give them a chance of a better future.

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