Missing School in Africa

One in ten girls in Africa misses school for the duration of their period every month, causing girls to fall significantly behind in school. This often leads to their dropping out, then often leading to forced marriage and pregnancies at young ages.

Northern Ethiopia

A study shows that more than half of the girls were absent from school during menarche, and that there was an indication that girls dropped out of school due to teasing and bullying about blood stains on clothing. In addition, 58% reported that school performance decreased after menarche. The study also shows that urban girls were more likely to have access to sanitary napkins, and of the 37.6% that used sanitary napkins, 62.4 were using rags & pieces of cloth.

Middle East, Asia, & Africa

Studies in Middle East, Asia, and Africa show that half the girls of the populations sampled didn’t have adequate access to hygiene solutions.

India

23% of Indian girls drop out of school because they lack the resources to manage their menstrual cycle. In addition, 88% of women in India resort to using ashes, newspapers, dried leaves, and husk sand to manage their menstrual cycle.

Bangladesh

A study in Bangladesh shows that 42% of girls missed at least one day of school every month due to menstruation, with only 6% of schools provide education on menstruation and menstrual hygiene. The study also shows that the girl to toilet ratio is 179:1 and that 66% of girls didn’t know what menstruation was when they first got it.

Ghana

A study in Ghana determines that 96.8% of schoolgirls feel more confident when wearing a pad.

Uganda

A study in Uganda shows that 19% of girls stained their pants during their last period and 20% missed at least one day of school during their last period.

Nigeria

In Nigeria, 25% of women lack privacy to manage menstrual hygiene.  

GDP

When 10% more girls go to school, their country’s GDP rises by 3%. This proves how countries will greatly benefit by introducing legislation mandating menstrual equity. With girls and women at the forefront of federal economies, the global economy will thrive. This can only be done by fighting tirelessly to ensure menstrual hygiene resources are accessible worldwide.