Water-rich Lesotho has long lubricated South Africa’s burgeoning population, but when drought struck in 2016, it was the residents of Katse village who suffered.
Read more about the effects of the South African drought on Lesotho.
In 2015, Help Lesotho launched a new initiative to distribute reusable sanitary kits to school-age girls in Lesotho.
As in many countries around the world, menstruation is a barrier to education; many girls stay home from school because they cannot afford the necessary supplies to manage their periods. Some girls turn to dirty rags or towels, leaving them uncomfortable, embarrassed, and at risk for infection.
The first few dozen reusable kits for this project were purchased from the Ottawa, Canada chapter of ‘Days for Girls’, an impressive program that has sewn thousands of kits for girls around the world. These kits were distributed to 50 girls in the pilot phase of the project. After using the washable pads for six months, the project was yielding impressive results – 100% of the girls who received kits were using the kits – and loving them! Instead of staying home the girls were bringing their kits to school on the days they were menstruating. They were having no trouble cleaning the pads, and they were finally feeling proud of the young women they are.
After the success of the pilot, Help Lesotho looked to expand the impact of the program.
Taking Sanitary Kits Local
That opportunity came with the establishment of a partnership between Help Lesotho and the Mazzarello Vocational School in Maputsoe (about 40 minutes away from Help Lesotho’s main Leadership Centre in Lesotho).
A group of young women are learning to sew at the Mazzarello Vocational School, and they are now the main producer of the reusable sanitary kits distributed by Help Lesotho. Help Lesotho pays for each kit made by the girls at the school, and the profits are helping to cover the school fees and expenses of the seamstresses. In combination with their project to sew school uniforms, the school is working towards being 100% self-sufficient.
Quotes from the girls sewing the kits:
“They are going to help a lot of people, especially a lot of the people living up in the mountains. It’s not easy for them to get the pads, but if they have those pads it’s going to be easy for them to use and wash.”
“We’re so glad to hear that you are very happy with our work.”
“So excited because we didn’t realize that once we were able to make those things, before that we thought they all had to be imported, so we are very happy to make these for our own. We are happy that we are improving our work.”
“We are always happy when we are doing our work, because if you do it with long faces, it won’t be perfect, so we are putting in all of our effort.”
The girls at the Mazzarello Vocational School were thrilled to take on a project that would both provide them with a small income and give them the chance to help girls in their community through their sewing. Help Lesotho is pleased to be supporting the local economy and skill development of girls who are working hard to build careers on which they can support their families.
Knowledge is Power
Girls who receive the kits participate in a comprehensive education session where they learn about menstruation – namely that it is a totally normal thing! – and learn how to stay healthy and hygienic as they enter womanhood. The girls are given the opportunity to ask questions; with many of these girls growing up orphaned and alone, they have never had anyone to ask even the most basic questions of.
The girls love receiving the beautiful kits, which include:
Each kit lasts up to three years, or 150 days of coverage.
Since 2016, the Mazzarello Vocational School has made over 200 kits for Help Lesotho to distribute to adolescent girls enrolled in high school. Funds raised through the Pearls4Girls program and Help Lesotho’s ‘Gifts That Give Hope’ program guarantee that many more kits will be delivered in the coming years – giving back thousands of school days to girls who might otherwise be forced to stay home.
The impact of the reusable sanitary kits is remarkable. They are one of the simplest and most cost-effective strategies for empowering girls to stay in school. Best of all, by having the kits made by girls in Lesotho, this project has DOUBLE the impact for Lesotho’s vulnerable girls!
Events in Lesotho typically begin with a hymn or a song, followed by a prayer. At a recent sexual education workshop for deaf students hosted by Help Lesotho, the first morning’s hymn started with grins from ear to ear and one small difference: the hymn was silent.
Read more about the importance of including the hearing-impaired in HIV/AIDS education.
Correct information empowers people to make the best possible choices in all aspects of life. Conversely, incorrect or poorly communicated information can cause a degree of harm that can be worse than knowing nothing in the first place. It is time to stop focusing solely on access to education, and start working on improving the quality of education.
Unlike candles and matches, paraffin, or kerosene which are costly, solar power doesn’t cost students a thing!
Students interviewed about the lights report that it is brighter than a candle or paraffin lamp, making it easier for them to read and study without straining their eyes.
Thunderstorms are common in Lesotho and power outages happen frequently and randomly. Luckily for these students, the light they received does not rely on electricity. Also, a candle can easily blow out in the wind in these storms, but the solar light is constant.
When fully charged, the solar study light will provide students with 8 hours of light.
Accidents involving flames from kerosene lamps commonly result in burns to children. The paraffin and kerosene lamps also release toxic particles that are dangerous to breathe in and cause respiratory diseases. Now children who received a light can study and perform other tasks without risking their health!
For a full charge, the lamp takes 8 hours to charge by solar light, and 4 hours by USB cable if electricity is available. Students can leave the lamp in their window when they leave for school and it will be fully charged by the time they arrive home!
Just face the solar panel towards a window and voila! Let there be light!
The family members of students who received light now have light for cooking, caring for babies, taking care of people who are ill, and younger and older siblings can share the light to study with.
Students are using the lights to complete their homework assignments so they can practice the skills they learn at school.
Only 20.6% of Lesotho’s population has access to electricity, making it difficult for students to study after dark. Even for the few with electricity, the light is beneficial due to frequent power outages. Older students found the timing of the light distributions was also helpful, as they were preparing to write their final exams.
One student describes her experience using her solar light: