Girls across Malawi leave school because they lack basic sanitary facilities. This problem affects their future chances, making life harder for them down the road. The situation in the Mapazi Zone of Blantyre Rural shows just how bad things have become for these young students.
Research shows that schools without menstrual facilities push girls to quit education. Mapazi Zone includes eight schools where girls miss many classes because they have nowhere to manage their periods. Test scores reflect this crisis - only 2% of students passed their recent practice exams.
Mervis Chitika from the Youth Coordinating Agency in Development explains the problem clearly. "Girls stay home during their periods because schools lack proper facilities. They miss lessons, fall behind, and eventually quit," she says. YACODE talked with youth and mother groups at four schools: Mapazi and Chipande in rural areas and South Lunzu and Namilango in urban Blantyre.
These discussions revealed early pregnancies and marriages also force girls out of education. The numbers tell a sad story - last year alone, 11 girls left Namilango school, 21 left South Lunzu, and 34 stopped attending Mapazi. Malawi faces a national dropout rate of 10.5%, with many factors making things worse - long walks to school, family money problems, and buildings without proper classrooms or bathrooms.
Research shows that schools without menstrual facilities push girls to quit education. Mapazi Zone includes eight schools where girls miss many classes because they have nowhere to manage their periods. Test scores reflect this crisis - only 2% of students passed their recent practice exams.
Mervis Chitika from the Youth Coordinating Agency in Development explains the problem clearly. "Girls stay home during their periods because schools lack proper facilities. They miss lessons, fall behind, and eventually quit," she says. YACODE talked with youth and mother groups at four schools: Mapazi and Chipande in rural areas and South Lunzu and Namilango in urban Blantyre.
These discussions revealed early pregnancies and marriages also force girls out of education. The numbers tell a sad story - last year alone, 11 girls left Namilango school, 21 left South Lunzu, and 34 stopped attending Mapazi. Malawi faces a national dropout rate of 10.5%, with many factors making things worse - long walks to school, family money problems, and buildings without proper classrooms or bathrooms.
