Mwalanjo Project

The name ‘Mwalanjo’ celebrates “young women coming of age” in the Lozi tribe and has befittingly been chosen as the name of this project, because we believe that young women should not have to feel burdened with the natural coming of age due to their economic status.

On average, Zambian rural girls miss about 10% of school days annually due to lack of menstrual supplies. This issue is worse in villages where girls miss up to 20% of school, often missing exams or performing poorly as a result of their absenteeism during their period. The Mwalanjo Project aims to address this issue by providing sustainable menstrual supplies to girls in rural areas of Zambia attending high school, thus eliminating menstrual absenteeism in the school.

Challenge

Menstrual absenteeism, is a problem for school girls in rural Zambia, who miss about 20% of their school attendance due to lack of menstrual supplies. This has had a negative impact on their academic performance, with some dropping out due to missed or failed exams. Thus, leading to early pregnancies and child marriages, for girls that have dropped out of school.

Solution

The Mwalanjo project has partnered up with sustainable menstrual cup and re-usable pad manufacturers to provide cups and menstrual health training to rural girls across Zambia, beginning with girls in Mkushi of Central Province and Limulunga district of Western Province.

Long-Term Impact

The project will impact over 500 girls allowing them to rise out of period poverty, one school at a time. Through the supply of sustainable menstrual cups and re-usable pads, all recipients will be able to finish secondary school without the limitations of period poverty, thus reducing menstrual absenteeism to 0% for each girl that receives a sustainable menstrual cup from us.