World Menstrual Hygiene Day: Protecting Girls’ Dignity in Sierra Leone

Today, as the world marks World Menstrual Hygiene Day, one message is clear: no girl should have to choose between her education and her period. 

Yet, across Sierra Leone, period poverty continues to prevent many girls from attending school confidently and consistently. Limited access to menstrual hygiene products, stigma surrounding menstruation, and inadequate reproductive health education remain major barriers for girls, especially in underserved communities.

According to UNESCO, 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during menstruation. For many girls, missing a few days every month can eventually affect performance, confidence, and even school completion. 

At the same time, global funding cuts have forced many reproductive health and protection programs to scale back across Africa, leaving local organizations to carry the responsibility of protecting girls and supporting communities.

That is why the work being done by Schools for Salone and Uman Tok matters now more than ever.

Why World Menstrual Hygiene Day Matters

World Menstrual Hygiene Day is not only about raising awareness. It is about protecting dignity, education, and opportunity for girls everywhere.

For years, large organizations like Plan International and the International Rescue Committee helped get menstrual hygiene kits to girls in Sierra Leone. But in 2025, a global funding crisis caused 80% of USAID-backed projects to vanish. Today, those partners are gone.

Without these large-scale orders, the Uman Tok production center, and the girls who rely on it, face an existential threat.  

At its peak, Uman Tok distributed over 23,000 menstrual hygiene kits. But due to shrinking international funding, Schools for Salone has become Uman Tok’s lifeline as they work to keep their mission alive. This quarter, they reached only 870 girls with kits and sexual and reproductive health education. 

Without support, thousands of girls in Sierra Leone could lose access to the menstrual hygiene products and reproductive health education they depend on.

That is why Schools for Salone is raising funds to continue supporting girls, boys, and communities through menstrual hygiene and reproductive health programs across Sierra Leone.

How You Can Support

This World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Schools for Salone is raising funds to continue supporting girls and communities across Sierra Leone through menstrual hygiene and reproductive health programs.

They need $25,000 to fund menstrual kits, boys hygiene kits, and sexual health and reproduction education in learning communities that are supported by Schools for Salone. Every gift supports their mission to remove barriers to quality education to girls in need. 

Every donation also helps keep girls in school, protects their dignity, and supports a future where no girl is held back because of her period.

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

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