Girls’ MHM-Friendly School Initiative

Background 

<Why are girls dropping out of school because of menstruation?>

In countries like Uganda, children face numerous barriers to continuing their education—poverty, long distances to school, and more. Yet one critical and often overlooked factor is menstruation. For many girls, their period becomes a reason to miss school or drop out entirely. Cultural taboos surrounding menstruation mean that adolescents rarely receive accurate information at school or home. As a result, menstrual health, hygiene, and sexuality education are severely lacking—leaving girls unprepared and unsupported.

In 2015, before GBN was formally established as an NPO, we launched the project “Reusable Sanitary Pads for School Girls” to help girls who were missing school because of their period. We had learned that many girls couldn’t afford sanitary pads and were forced to use unhygienic alternatives like old clothes, which posed serious risks of infection and discomfort. Some girls experienced leaks during class and were laughed at by male classmates, leading to shame, absenteeism, and even dropping out. To address this, we distributed reusable cloth pads that could be washed and reused for a year, and conducted a survey to assess their impact on girls’ school attendance and wellbeing.

The results were striking: girls’ attendance and academic performance improved significantly, and even cases of girls returning to school after dropping out were observed. Missing up to a week each month due to menstruation can add up to nearly three weeks per term—deeply affecting grades and attendance. This often leads to dropout, causing girls to miss out on opportunities to pursue stable, well-paying jobs. The study also revealed that lack of menstrual knowledge, hygiene education, and low gender awareness among both boys and girls were major contributing factors.