Girls Sanitation project at Bwobo Manam School

Tackling the issue of girls leaving school

In Uganda we have been seeing serious issues with girls dropping out of primary school in the upper years. In Uganda, children start primary school at age 7 and leave when they are around 14. In the first years of school there are an equal number of girls and boys in each year group. By the time the children reach Primary Five, age 13, there is only one girl for every three boys.

We know it is vital that girls stay in education; reports show that:

"A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past its 5th birthday"

Girls workshop at Bwobo Manam

The reasons for girls dropping out of school include menstruation, early marriage and a lack of knowledge around sex and relationships. Statistics from UNICEF show that one in ten African girls skips school during menstruation or drops out entirely due to a lack of facilities.

Earlier this year we started our first pilot project designed to help girls stay in school. At Bwobo Manam in Northern Uganda we have built a specific girls washroom and changing facility. We have also provided the girls with free re-usable sanitary products and have partnered with Marie Stopes to give the girls workshops about how to manage their menstruation with dignity.

Girls receiving sanitary products and a picture of girls new washroom facilities at Bwobo Manam