As part of its integrated approach to improving girl education and menstrual hygiene, Mphatso Zathu Foundation (MZF) launched a value chain bakery training program for women in Chileka. This initiative is designed to equip women with baking and business skills, enabling them to generate sustainable income while indirectly supporting education and menstrual hygiene initiatives for girls in their communities.

Currently, the training is in full swing, with Pesa Group, one of the two women’s groups under this program, making remarkable progress. The women are now proficient in mixing ingredients and efficiently using the cook stove that MZF has provided. These newfound skills will allow them to produce high-quality baked goods for sale, creating a steady source of income.

Beyond economic empowerment, this initiative plays a crucial role in promoting girl education and menstrual hygiene, aligning with MZF’s broader project supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance. With the revenue generated from their bakery businesses, the women will be able to support their families financially, covering essential needs such as school fees, learning materials, and other educational necessities for their children. Additionally, part of their earnings will contribute to menstrual hygiene efforts, ensuring that adolescent girls have access to reusable sanitary pads and other essential products, reducing school absenteeism linked to period poverty.

By integrating economic empowerment with education and health, MZF is fostering a sustainable community-driven approach to addressing key challenges faced by women and girls. This initiative is not just about baking, it’s about breaking barriers and building a future where every girl has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

Mphatso Zathu Foundation (MZF) has officially handed over an ECOSAN Facility (Ecological Sanitation Facility) to Ngumbe Primary School in Chileka Blantyre, providing a safe and sustainable space for girls to manage menstruation with dignity.

The facility serves as a private change room, addressing the menstrual health challenges that often lead to school absenteeism. By offering a clean and accessible space, the ECOSAN Facility ensures that girls can stay in school, boosting their confidence, academic performance, and long-term educational success.

Unlike conventional change rooms, the ECOSAN Facility integrates ecological sanitation principles, promoting sustainability and hygiene. It is designed to manage waste efficiently, minimize environmental impact, and ensure a clean, odor-free space. This innovative approach aligns with the Ministry of Education’s efforts to create inclusive, gender-responsive learning environments.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, MZF representatives emphasized the importance of menstrual health in girls' education and reiterated the foundation’s commitment to sustainable, education-focused interventions.

The ECOSAN Facility at Ngumbe Primary School is part of MZF’s broader mission to improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and remove barriers to education for girls in Malawi.

We recently conducted a training session on menstrual hygiene health management at Mtondoko Primary School in Lunzu, Blantyre. The session, which included 25 girls and 20 boys, focused on managing menstruation and incorporated discussions on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

The training addressed significant challenges faced by girls, such as missing school during menstruation due to a lack of hygiene materials. This not only affects their education but also undermines their confidence and overall well-being.

The SRHR discussions benefited both genders, equipping them with essential knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Such initiatives are critical for shaping a future generation that is informed, respectful, and proactive about addressing health and gender-related issues.

We believe trainings like these play a pivotal role in improving school attendance and academic performance, especially for girls. They also prepare students to become empowered individuals who can contribute positively to their communities and society at large.

The question of menstrual poverty highlights the need to pay so much attention to the lifestyle of girls and how menstrual hygiene affects it. Menstrual poverty is a condition in which a girl fails to access materials that help her remain clean during her menstruation period. Mphatso Zathu Foundation has taken lead in helping young girls escape menstrual poverty and understands that the absence of such materials have had adverse effects on girls especially those that are going to school. The organization’s various field visits conducted have highlighted a need to scale up the intervention as most girls fail to attend classes, while others shame and others completely drop out.

In response to the situation, the organization took an action by conducting trainings on making of reusable sanitary pads to school going girls and partnered with different schools to advance the cause. The foundation increasingly mobilizes teachers, students and communities to come together towards ending menstrual poverty in order to empower the girls. From 2021 to date, more than 300 girls have benefited from the trainings. On a normal day of school after classes, teachers who are matrons to the students, facilitate the sewing club sessions to make sanitary pads and it is always a vital after class activity. The dedicated matrons work with Mphatso Zathu foundation to support girl child education by helping the girl child remain in school during her periods.

However, the intervention has met several challenges. One of the key challenges highlighted by the foundation remains the absence of adequate materials to making of reusable sanitary pads. Among the layers of clothing that make the reusable pad is a piece of cloth that is water proof. The cloth is expensive and remains a huge hiccup in the intervention. Malawi’s economic problem that is even worse in the rural areas even puts more pressure on the girls and limits them from producing reusable sanitary pads on their own. The Foundation’s plan is to develop sustainable ways to economically support communities towards production of reusable sanitary pads and reduction of menstrual poverty.