Sanitation needs for school girls in developing nations

Another article written for The Water Project:

In America, girls joke about “The Curse”, but for schoolgirls in developing nations, it is no laughing matter. Every 28 days, their education may be interrupted for as many as five days. UNICEF estimates that one in 10 school-age African girls either skips school during menstruation or drops out entirely because of lack of sanitation. Without access to adequate sanitation and clean water at school, menstruating girls are forced to stay at home, losing precious days of education, and contributing to a plethora of reasons why it is difficult to remain in school. In Uganda, more than half of the girls who start primary school will drop out before they sit for their primary school-leaving exams. The highest rate of dropout is seen in girls between the ages of 11 and 13.

There are many social taboos surrounding the loss of blood, and in some cultures, menstruation also means that a girl is ready for marriage.  To encourage girls to stay in school, it is important for them to have access to private sanitation facilities that have a source of clean water.   Some schools have the latrines, but fresh water has to be carried to them in buckets, resulting in taunting from boys about what may be going on behind the closed door.  Some girls even prefer to risk their safety by walking far into the field around a school to take care of their business, just to avoid the public embarrassment.  Staying home from school saves the girls from the embarrassment of not being able to care for themselves at school, especially if they cannot afford the proper sanitary materials.

What schools need are private latrines that have roofs and locking doors, with a supply of fresh water so the girls can wash themselves.  Keeping girls in school is crucial to ending the cycle of poverty.  Providing them with safe and sanitary methods to keep them attending school all month long will help them overcome just one of many gender-based hurdles that these girls will face in their lifetimes.