Girls in Tanzania face many barriers to education. The Olive Branch for Children (TOBFC) Menstrual Equity Program empowers girls to stay in school and attend classes regularly by providing packets of reusable maxi pads to vulnerable primary and secondary school girls who have started their periods.

 

Our staff social worker Lucy connects with the girls at school to distribute the kits and provides them with valuable life skills and reproductive health information. Lucy also establishes relationships with female teachers, equipping them with information and tools to continue supporting the girls throughout the year.

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Providing these reusable maxi pad packets allows these girls, who would otherwise miss up to a week of school every month, to attend classes. This program also encourages young girls to remain in school so that when they start menstruating, they can receive a kit.

 

TOBFC distributed packets of 4 maxi pads to 500 girls between January and September 2023. In 2024, TOBFC provided 2,100 packages of reusable feminine hygiene products and trained an additional 2,517 young women to make their own reusable maxi pads.

 

TOBFC is working to expand this program further as the schools involved report that the program is having a positive impact on attendance figures for girls.

 

Supporting girls to stay in school directly impacts their economic future and creates generational change for their future families. This is a powerful way to advocate for gender equity and empower women to transform their lives through education.

 

Support menstrual equity by donating to our Health Care programs today.