The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruption to schooling over the past 18 months for Zambia’s more than 4 million learners.

With the reopening of schools following the country’s third wave of infections, UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education are working to ensure COVID-19 does not end up being the reason many children drop out of school.

While waves of COVID-19 have led to school closures and delays across the country, a more regular and long-running disruption has been the menstrual cycle.

“My mother used to give me a cloth to use when my period starts. The cloth used to get wet quickly and it would burn me, making me very uncomfortable,” said 13-year-old Patience in Zambia’s Nakonde District on the border with Tanzania.

“I would then have to stay home for a couple of days so that the burns can heal.”

Without access to sanitary pads, fellow student Victoria, also 13, faced similar issues: “I would miss school for a week whenever I have my period because of fear of embarrassment, as I experience heavy bleeding whenever I have my period. The cloth pads were not adequate to keep me ‘safe.’ The absenteeism resulted in me falling behind in my schoolwork.”

Under a GPE-supported program with Zambia’s Ministry of Education, UNICEF procured and delivered more than 54,564 reusable sanitary pads as part of a wider package of support to help the education sector recover from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to make schools safer places.

As a beneficiary, Joyce (14) says she is happy with the sanitary pads that she received. “The pads fit well and they are very comfortable. They also prevent leakages. They have given me confidence to stay in school even when I am having my period,” she said.

Another schoolgirl, Mpeta (12), also received one of the packs, each containing 10 pads. “This is good because we are able to change the pads at school, and they are easy to wash.”

Inadequate menstrual hygiene management can be a major barrier for adolescent girls to remain in school.

Currently, girls drop out in far higher numbers in secondary school in Zambia, exposing them to teenage pregnancy, child marriage and more limited prospects as adults.