The Wales and Africa grant scheme has enabled organisations like Teams4U and Chomuzangari Women’s Co-operative to run projects that are improving period dignity for young girls.
As part of our commitment to Welsh Government’s recently published Period Dignity Strategic Action Plan, WCVA has been working in partnership with Welsh government through the Wales and Africa grant scheme.
The scheme has supported organisations to run projects in Sub-Saharan Africa to help improve period dignity. Read on to see what we’ve funded and how to get in touch if you’d like to discuss a Wales Africa project with our Grants Team here at WCVA.
Funding is available now through the scheme, and the current round is open for applications until 21 July 2023.
‘THEY LIVE WITH DIGNITY’
Wrexham based organisation, Teams4U ran a project in Uganda in 2021 which focused on providing access to water and installing toilets, showers and changing facilities in 23 schools in the Kumi area. This allowed girls to continue their education while they were menstruating. Pupils were also provided with reusable menstrual products and information about menstrual hygiene, to combat myths and taboos around periods.
Prior to the project, 29% of girls missed days of school due to period-related causes, but afterwards the figure was reduced to only 5% of girls. By providing girls with washable sanitary pads, families in Kumi were able to save a considerable amount of money, as one pack of disposable pads can be equivalent to a day’s salary.
Sam Malinga, CEO of Sanitation Africa Ltd, said: ‘You know girls when they are menstruating, they miss school for five days per month. So these changing rooms will encourage more girls to stay at school. And also it makes their life a little bit convenient, and they live with dignity.’
PROVIDING SKILLS AND RESOURCES IN ZIMBABWE
Chomuzangari Women’s Co-operative are a Welsh organisation led by women from the African diaspora. The group ran a project in 2022 which taught pupils in Zimbabwe to make their own reusable sanitary wear. This not only provided them with necessary supplies, but also helped them develop sewing skills.
Surplus pads were then distributed to families in Chomuzangari village, so that everyone in the community was able to benefit from the cost savings and hygiene improvements. Muzondo High School surveyed school attendance prior to the project and discovered that girls were missing five days of school per month on average. Once the girls had the sanitary wear they needed, the school found that girls were able to attend every day.
ABOUT WALES AND AFRICA GRANTS
The Wales and Africa grant scheme supports Welsh organisations and volunteers to connect with communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, raise awareness in Wales, and deliver meaningful projects which make a real difference to people’s lives. This helps to build lasting connections across nations and forms part of our commitment to ‘a globally responsible Wales’ under the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.
We welcome applications from Welsh organisations working with African partners on projects which contribute to our key themes of health, lifelong learning, climate change and environment, and sustainable livelihoods. If you would like to apply for funding through the Wales and Africa grant scheme, visit our website for more information or call the team on 0300 111 0124, selecting option 3 to reach the Grants Team.