Supporting Menstrual Hygiene in Sierra Leone Means Supporting Girls’ Futures

A Growing Menstrual Hygiene Crisis in Sierra Leone

For thousands of girls across Sierra Leone, access to menstrual hygiene products is not simply a health issue. It is directly connected to education, confidence, and opportunity.

Yet today, many girls are at risk of losing that support.

A global funding crisis has forced several international organizations to scale back reproductive health and gender protection programs across Africa. In Sierra Leone, this has created serious gaps in menstrual hygiene support for vulnerable girls and communities. 

Organizations such as Plan International and the International Rescue Committee once helped provide menstrual hygiene kits and sexual reproductive health education to schools and communities. But as international aid funding continues to decline, many of these programs have slowed or disappeared entirely. 

Now, local organizations are being forced to carry the burden alone.

Why Menstrual Hygiene in Sierra Leone is a Major Issue

Across Sierra Leone, many girls still face barriers staying in school during menstruation. Limited access to sanitary products, stigma around periods, and inadequate menstrual hygiene support often force girls to miss classes every month.

According to UNICEF, many girls in Sierra Leone struggle to manage menstruation safely and with dignity because of poverty, social stigma, and lack of menstrual hygiene materials.

Globally, UNESCO estimates that 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during menstruation, sometimes losing up to 20% of a school year due to period-related challenges.

For girls already facing economic hardship, missing school regularly can increase risk of falling behind academically or dropping out completely. 

This is why menstrual hygiene in Sierra Leone cannot be treated as a side issue. It is directly tied to girls’ education, empowerment, and long-term opportunities. 

How Schools for Salone and Uman Tok Are Responding

A team member of Uman Tok giving sexual reproductive health talk with students in an SfS partner school in Makali

Despite the funding challenges, Schools for Salone and its partner, Uman Tok, continue to support girls and communities through menstrual hygiene programs and reproductive health education.

So far this academic year:

• 870 girls have received menstrual hygiene kits and sexual and reproductive health education.
• 750 boys have been trained on positive masculinity and respectful behaviour in classrooms.
• 1,015 parents and caregivers have participated in reproductive health and abuse prevention discussions.

These efforts are helping break long-standing cultural silence around menstruation, consent, and sexual health in Sierra Leonean communities. The programmes also focus on creating safer learning environments where girls can stay in school confidently during their menstrual cycles. 

The impact of the global aid crisis has been severe. 

At its peak, Uman Tok distributed over 23,000 menstrual hygiene kits. This year, distribution has dropped dramatically to just 1,690 kits so far.

Without urgent support, production could slow even further, leaving thousands of girls without access to menstrual hygiene products and reproductive health education.

As international organizations reduce operations, Schools for Salone has become one of the most stable partners helping keep Uman Tok’s mission alive.

How You Can Support Girls’ Futures in Sierra Leone

Some young girls in an SfS-partner school in Koromasilia

Every girl deserves the right to manage menstruation safely and with dignity.

When girls have access to menstrual hygiene support, they are more likely to stay in school, participate confidently in class, and pursue their goal without shame or interruption.

But when menstrual hygiene support disappears, girls lose more than products. They lose opportunities, confidence, and access to education.

Today, Schools for Salone and Uman Tok are working to ensure this doesn’t happen. And this is through your support.

Your support can help keep girls in school, sustain the production of reusable menstrual kits, and expand access to sexual and reproductive health education for communities across Sierra Leone. 

Donate today to help Schools for Salone and Uman Tok continue their lifesaving work. 

Donate here: https://schoolsforsalone.salsalabs.org/womensmonth2026/index.html