Across Zimbabwe, period poverty continues to disrupt the education of thousands of girls, particularly in rural communities where access to menstrual products, clean water, and safe sanitation remains limited. Many girls miss school every month simply because they cannot manage their periods safely and with dignity. In response, a grassroots youth-led movement supported by Education Out Loud is helping address this challenge by equipping girls with practical resources, accurate menstrual health information, and safe spaces to discuss menstruation openly.
At Tsiga Primary School in Mutoko District, girls gather to sew reusable menstrual pads as part of a school-based initiative that is transforming how menstruation is understood and managed. These sessions provide more than just menstrual kits; they create a supportive environment where girls can talk about their experiences, often for the first time. The initiative is led by Viola Flo-Jo Mutambudzi, a teacher and Rural Youth Champion with the Kuyenda Collective, which works to improve rural youth’s right to education in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Drawing on training in youth-led advocacy and community engagement, Viola established Comfort4Teens 101, a club designed to support girls not only through menstrual health education but also by building confidence and self-worth.
The Kuyenda Collective trained more than 300 young people across the four countries as Rural Youth Champions in 2023. In Zimbabwe, its work focuses on districts such as Mutoko, Chiredzi, and Binga, where youth are empowered to advocate for better education quality and improved school conditions. These young leaders are trained in evidence-based advocacy and engage with local authorities on issues such as school infrastructure, student health, teacher shortages, and learning materials. Supported by Education Out Loud and implemented with partners including Teach for Zimbabwe, the initiative ensures that rural youth voices play a role in shaping education systems and local policy responses.
Period poverty remains one of the most serious barriers to girls’ education in Zimbabwe. Estimates from FAWEZI and UNICEF suggest that up to 62 percent of rural girls miss school during menstruation, losing as much as one-fifth of the academic year. In many cases, girls rely on unsafe alternatives such as old cloth, newspaper, or even cow dung, which can increase the risk of infection. These challenges have been worsened by climate-related shocks, including the 2023–2024 El Niño-induced drought, which has further reduced access to clean water and private sanitation facilities. In this context, the menstrual kits produced through Viola’s club—containing reusable pads, underwear, tights, and a sanitary bag—have become an important tool in reducing absenteeism and helping girls remain in school during their periods.
Viola’s leadership has gone beyond awareness-raising and into direct action. When the club’s sewing machine broke, she continued sewing pads by hand. She also made homemade detergents for school toilets and, for months, personally carried buckets of water to the school. Eventually, using the advocacy skills she gained as a Rural Youth Champion, she successfully mobilized support to have water pipes installed at the school. These efforts have contributed to a visible reduction in absenteeism, with girls increasingly attending school during menstruation because they now have both the resources and the confidence to do so.
Recognizing that changing attitudes around menstruation also requires the involvement of boys, Viola created a separate club for boys focused on mental health, life skills such as barbering, and discussions around respect and responsibility. This broader approach encourages boys to support their female peers and helps build a more inclusive and understanding school environment. It also reinforces the idea that menstrual dignity is not only a girls’ issue but a community issue that requires collective awareness and action.
A similar transformation is taking place at nearby Nyakabau Primary School in Mutoko District, where another Rural Youth Champion and educator, Tabeth Jasi, has made period poverty a central focus of her work. She observed that a large majority of girls were regularly missing school during menstruation and responded by investing in materials to produce underwear and assemble menstrual kits. She also established a menstrual health club that teaches girls about menstruation and hygiene while producing reusable pads. To make the initiative sustainable, the club sells reusable pads to women in the community, generating income that supports ongoing activities. Since the club began, the school has also reported a clear drop in absenteeism among girls.
Partners involved in the initiative emphasize that its greatest strength lies in its locally driven nature. Leaders from Teach for Zimbabwe and the Public Service Accountability Monitor point to youth champions like Viola and Tabeth as examples of how rural young people can create practical, home-grown, and sustainable solutions to address barriers to education. Their work demonstrates that when young people are trusted, trained, and supported, they can lead meaningful change within their own communities.
At the national level, these grassroots efforts are being reinforced by stronger government commitments. Zimbabwe’s 2025 national budget allocated ZiG85 million, or about US$3.27 million, to provide free sanitary products for schoolgirls, marking an important step toward reducing period poverty and improving school attendance. This investment complements broader education reforms supported through GPE grants, including a US$25 million Girls’ Education Accelerator grant focused on improving school infrastructure, expanding access to clean water and sanitation, preventing school dropout, and strengthening foundational learning. Working alongside partners such as UNICEF and CAMFED, the government is helping ensure that investments in menstrual health, school safety, and quality education reach girls in rural and remote communities.
Overall, the work of rural youth champions in Zimbabwe shows how local leadership can tackle period poverty in practical and lasting ways. By combining advocacy, innovation, peer support, and community action, these young changemakers are helping girls stay in school, protect their health, and learn with dignity. Their efforts highlight that addressing menstrual health is not just about providing products, but about removing a major barrier to education and giving girls the confidence and support they need to thrive.
