Keep a Girl in School


In Tanzania, like many low-income countries, girls receive limited puberty guidance, and the cost of mass-produced sanitary materials is high.

The complete lack of proper sanitation facilities and affordable hygiene materials for use by adolescent girls at home and at school, affects their health, their potential to access education, employment, overall safety and quality of life.

Girls who do not have access to female hygiene products miss three to four classes each month during their menses, which adds up to 30 to 40 missed days per school year. A growing body of research shows that girls’ inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in schools results in school absenteeism, which in turn, has severe economic costs on their lives and on the country as a whole.

It is for this reason that WAF developed the Keep a Girl in School Program.


Help Keep a Girl in School!

The importance of the program is particularly seen in the rural areas, where teachers are reporting improved school attendance and less absenteeism among girls.

In 2017, 13-year-old Isobel joined the Wentworth Africa Foundation team on the ground in Mtwara in southeastern Tanzania to help promote the ‘Keep a Girl in School’ programme of personal care. It was her first trip outside of Europe. See what she had to say in this short video.