UMODZI Youth Organization (UYO) in April 2021, handed over sanitary change rooms to Likulu Primary School as a way of promoting Girl Child Education and Women Rights. Speaking during the handover, in Traditional Authority (T/A) Kapeni, in Blantyre, UYO Programs Director, Shy Ali said following the organization’s research it established that most girls tend to miss classes and fall behind in education due to lack of sanitary facilities. School absenteeism has been one contributing factor as to why most girls do not do well and complete their education. This is a tendency when the schools do not have the necessities to accommodate girls during their menstrual periods, he said.
Prior to the donation, Ali said, the organization donated four sewing machines and trained ten members from mother groups within the community in making reusable sanitary pads which were donated to 380 girls at the school.
Likulu primary school has 1582 learners, 802 boys and 782 of which more than 350 experience menstrual periods. Funded by Think Malawi united kingdom, the USD 10,000 project is expected to benefit 700 school girls, mother groups through sewing skills and 50 community women through self-help small scale business skills training