A female student using the water bucket after vising the toilet
Nakhwikhwi primary school is one of the 22 primary schools that Creative Centre for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM) is working with under its Girls Get Equal -Nzotheka project funded by Norad through Plan International Malawi at Nkhulambe zone in Phalombe district.
According to the headteacher at the school, Edward Topola, hygiene was a big problem at the school, especially at the school’s toilets.
“Toilets at the school were not being cleaned and there were no water buckets and soap to be used by students after visiting the toilets,” said Topola
After CRECCOM through the Girls Get Equal -Nzotheka project trained mother groups, students, headteachers and the PTA committee on menstrual hygiene, the head teacher at the school said that a lot has changed positively in terms of hygiene.
“We have now bought 10 water buckets at a sum of MK50,000 and they are placed near the toilets during classes to be used by students during classes to be used by students,” said Topola
A standard 6 student, Jenipher Mailosi, said that there used to be bad odors in the past before the school started the intervention of having water buckets and soap and even cleaning the toilets.
Plan International Malawi also trained the mother group on the sewing of reusable sanitary pads since female students at the school were finding it difficult to buy sanitary pads at MK750 as most of them are from poor families.
Mother group members for Nakhwikhwi primary school said that after receiving the training with Plan International Malawi, they were given some materials like two pieces of thick fabric,a needle, a scissor, ruler to start sewing the sanitary reusable pads for girls at the school. A total of 35 re-usable sanitary pads were produced and shared with 35 female students
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