Education for Young Girls

ISSUE:
At Cyarwa high school, 40 of 1500 female students dropped out last year because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable using the restroom at school. There is only one set of latrines that are shared by all students and teachers, and boys watch the girls while they used the restroom. Not even teachers are spared from this harassment; the 30 (of 37) female staff members sneak to a private area to relieve themselves but the area quickly becomes unhygienic and acquires a bad odor. Shared latrines cause menstruation to become a complex and stressful problem for all females at the school, leading many girls to miss school.

SOLUTION:
Education for Young Girls hopes to build separate latrines for females and males so that boys cannot harass girls or teachers. They also plan to education their community about reproductive health.

IMPACT:
The eight team members hope that after the school has separate restrooms, no more girls will drop out of school as a result of harassment at the latrines. In addition, they hope that the girls who have already dropped out will now feel safe enough to return to school.