Sanitation Crisis for Girls: Dire Situation at Mapambano Primary School

Research Report and Investigation by Christina Elia from Rural Youth Collective (RYC) - July 2025

Girls Miss School for One Week Each Month Due to Lack of Safe Toilets

Investigation at Mapambano Primary reveals that 150 female students have no gender-specific sanitation facilities

MBALIZI VILLAGE: Every month, dozens of girls at Mapambano Primary School face an impossible choice - attend classes without access to safe, private toilet facilities or stay home for an entire week during their menstrual cycle. For most, staying home becomes the only option, creating a pattern of missed education that threatens their academic future.

The problem is stark in its simplicity. Mapambano Primary School serves 200 students - 150 girls and 50 boys - yet has no toilet facilities designated specifically for female students. All students, regardless of age or gender, must share the same deteriorating and unhygienic facilities that lack privacy, cleaning supplies, and basic safety measures.

Daily struggles force difficult decisions

The impact on education becomes clear when talking to students themselves. One seventh-grade girl described her monthly reality during a July investigation by education analyst Christina Elia from the Rural Youth Collective.

"During my periods, I don't go to school for a whole week," the student said. "I don't think I have the right to use these toilets as they are. I'm forced to return home."

This pattern repeats across the school. Girls entering adolescence regularly miss five to seven school days each month, roughly 10 weeks of lost education per year. The mathematics teacher states he has watched intelligent students fall behind in subjects that require consistent attendance.

"My girls have intelligence, but they often miss important lessons," the teacher explained. "When we teach new topics, they’re at home. This makes them have difficulty following other lessons."

Beyond privacy issues, the shared toilets pose multiple health and safety concerns. Several are broken, many lack running water, and all are poorly maintained. During class, students must often walk to neighbouring Mlimani School to use its facilities, losing valuable learning time in the process.

Health and psychological consequences 

Medical professionals warn that inadequate sanitation increases risks for urinary tract infections, waterborne diseases like cholera, and other illnesses linked to unsanitary conditions. The psychological toll is equally damaging, with students reporting shame, humiliation, and fear of attending school during menstruation.

The head teacher acknowledged the daily challenges during conversations with Elia. "This is a challenge that has really troubled me," the administrator said. "Every day, I see my girls suffering. Some don't come to school at certain times of the month due to this challenge. It's a great shame for us as a school."

Parents in the rural farming community near Mbeya city centre have begun expressing concerns about their daughters' safety and dignity. Some families are considering transferring students to other schools, despite additional costs and transportation difficulties.

Community mobilises despite limited resources

In response to the crisis, school leaders held an urgent meeting with parents and community members. The turnout showed just how committed this rural community is to education, even within tight financial limits.

Parents volunteered to dig four emergency toilet pits using their own tools and labour, a significant act of sacrifice in a community where most families survive through small-scale farming and trading.

However, volunteer labour addresses only part of the solution. The community lacks funds for cement, construction materials, and other essentials. Geological conditions in the area have also complicated pit construction, causing the project to stall while the community waits for outside assistance.

Students create their own solutions

Despite institutional challenges, female students have organised informal support networks. Older girls help each other track menstrual cycles, share materials when available, and encourage one another to keep attending school.

Grade seven student Maria Komba has become a student leader and advocate for change. She proposed that students write letters to education officials and potential sponsors requesting support for safe toilet construction.

"We girls need to unite together," said Komba. "We can write letters to various education stakeholders requesting help for safe toilet construction."

Proven solutions exist in similar schools

Research by the Rural Youth Collective found that other rural schools have successfully tackled similar challenges. At Songea Primary School in Mbozi district, international project assistance enabled the construction of modern girls’ toilets, clean water systems, and reproductive health education programs.

The results were striking: girls’ attendance rose by 90%, exam performance improved by 65%, and more female students continued to secondary school. These outcomes show just how powerful improved sanitation can be in transforming girls’ education.

A crisis demanding immediate action

The situation at Mapambano Primary represents broader infrastructure challenges facing rural schools across Tanzania. Christina Elia's investigation, conducted as part of educational data collection in July 2025, revealed how basic infrastructure gaps create significant barriers to girls' education.

The Rural Youth Collective is calling for immediate intervention from local government, donor agencies, and civil society partners. While the community has shown willingness to contribute labour and materials, they urgently need technical expertise, funding, and logistical support to complete the project.

For 150 girls at Mapambano Primary, each school day brings the same difficult choice: attend school without basic dignity or stay home and fall behind. The mathematics lesson missed during their weekly absences, the science lessons they cannot follow due to gaps in foundational knowledge, and the overall academic progress lost to inadequate toilet facilities will impact their chances of continuing to secondary education.

The head teacher, parents, and students remain hopeful, continuing their advocacy while the unfinished emergency toilets stand as a reminder of what’s still needed.

Until safe, private toilet facilities become available, girls like the seventh-grader at Mapambano Primary will continue missing approximately 25% of their school year, falling behind male classmates who face no such barriers. This is not because of ability, but because of infrastructure.

The Rural Youth Collective continues to monitor the situation and advocate for urgent action.  The organisation emphasises that safe toilets represent more than convenience - they are fundamental to girls' right to education and dignity.

For more information about this research or to participate in girls' sanitation initiatives, contact Rural Youth Collective (RYC) at Mbalizi Village, Mbeya.