Girls in Control – Zimbabwe

Girls in Control (GiC) is a multi-country project with an aims to increase school attendance for adolescent school girls, through improved menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in schools and facilitating access to safe, affordable and sustainable sanitary materials through a value chain business model.

In Zimbabwe, we are implementing the GiC project to address the specific needs of privacy and decency, availability of girl-friendly facilities, and information on MHM. A central topic is male involvement in menstrual matters. We are inspired by the response from the community and local leadership and are working on improving access and availability of the required infrastructure and policies for a girl-friendly environment. Our innovative interventions include girl-friendly latrines, designing easy to make reusable menstrual pads (RUMPS), and advocacy initiatives which have led to a motion in parliament being moved and debated.

Impact & Results

• More than 2O schools made and sold RUMPS in their schools and surrounding communities;

• 20 girl-friendly latrines with space and incinerators for disposal of all waste and sanitary ware have been piloted in 20 schools so far;

• More than 1O local business people now sell RUMPS supplied by women groups;

• Two traditional chiefs assumed their role as ambassadors for MHM in the country;

• Men got involved in menstruation matters after having been identified as key in decision making;

• A parliament motion was proposed and MHM being debated.