Slide 1

MY HEALTH, MY EDUCATION AND MY FUTURE By Alice BUMANZI,MPHHDP

GIRLS ROOM PROGRAMME IN SCHOOLS IN RWANDA

1BackgroundReasons girls miss school in Rwanda(MINEDUC 2012)

Absenteeism of girls in primary & secondary schools in relation to menstruation: a total of 12,386,564 days per year are missed in; In 2012,School girls 10-18 years old were 1,022,815 .Most girls drop out at around 11 to 12-years-old2National targets in GRPPrimary target: 1,022,815 girls aged 10-18 years old in primary schools and lower secondary schools (MINEDUC 2012)Secondary target: other students, teachers, Parents and decision makers2594 Primary schools in 2012 Gender equity in EducationIncrease completion rate among students

In 2012, the 270770 girls [aged 10-14 years?] school did not finish their primary schools3Switched from slide 2 to slide 3Girls Room Programme (GRP) ObjectivesUrgent need to reverse the high absenteeism rate of girls in schools related to menstruation;National Policy and Strategy on ASRH&R promoting sexual education for youth 10-24 years;Education on menstruation hygiene is a logical entry point for sexual education for 10-14 year old youths.

4Moved from slide 2 to slide 4

The GRP InterventionStock a girls room in schools with girls aged between 10 to 18 years with emergency sanitary materials for use during menses;Using earmarked government fundsOffers fun education to girls on how to manage their menstrual hygiene, how to demystify taboos;Equips teachers with competencies, skills, and mentorship to communicate with girls in a friendly way;Set up financial services, like a money saving and voucher scheme for parents.

Overview of intervention Avail and equip girls room facility into schoolsTraining of teachers : MentorsGovernment earmarked budget for buying disposable padsInform school girls about menstruationParents program

Remove this slide and incorporate information on previous slideIntervention Results 60% (1500/2594) of Rwandan primary schools have an equipped girls room;Drop out among girls school decreased from 14.7 % to 10.7%Increase in confidence by 30% of girls in schools with girls roomsThrough menstruation education, most of themyths & taboos have been demystified Incorporating boys in this program has addressed the issue of the stigma

2594 primary schools in Rwanda in 2012,around 1500 schoolsFrom 2008 to 2012 from this data 50% of school absenteeism is reducedAround 215,000 girl schools become confidents and reduction of unwanted pregnancies(data not available)

7 Challenges and lessons learnedEarmarked fund is not enough to cover girls menses needs;Schools should construct girls room from their own budget;Insufficient trained teachers;Socio-cultural barriers and myths around menstruation;Difficult to make the project sustainable;HDP covers only schools in four districts.

Ownership of the project by schools and community8Conclusion and recommendationsIntroduction of reusable pads product is affordable compared to disposal pads For sustainability: Saving systemVoucher systemLocally productionNeeds efforts for all

THANK YOU! Questions ?