500 girls, three schools, one big change: how MCS is keeping girls in class
In Magola Sub County, menstruation is a reason to stay home from school. With sanitary pads costing up to $1.40 a packet — more than most families earn in a day — girls miss an average of three days of school every month. Since 2012, adolescent girl absenteeism has climbed from 7% to 28%. Behind every statistic is a girl whose future is being quietly eroded.
Magalen Community Services is working to change that.
Changing room built in Nambogo primary school
The problem
Girls in Magola Sub County face a perfect storm of barriers. They cannot afford sanitary pads. They have no clean, private space to change at school. They have never been taught about menstruation or how to manage it safely. When the only options are staying home, using dirty rags, or exchanging sex for money to buy pads, too many girls choose the one that feels safest — they simply don’t go to school.
The long term consequences are devastating. Girls who miss school fall behind, lose confidence, and eventually drop out altogether. A girl who drops out of school is more likely to marry young, less likely to earn her own income, and less able to make decisions about her own life.
What MCS did this year
This year MCS reached 500 girls across three primary schools — Magola, Nambogo, and Pajangango — with a package of support that addresses every part of the problem.
We distributed factory-made sanitary pads so girls could stay in school immediately. We built dedicated changing rooms at Nambogo and Magola primary schools — safe, private spaces that didn’t exist before. We trained teachers and pupils in all three schools to make their own reusable sanitary pads from locally sourced materials: cotton cloth, polythene paper, needle, thread and button. And we trained senior women teachers in reproductive health so girls have someone they can talk to.
The changing room at Magola Primary School was officially opened on 28th February 2025 by Mr. and Mrs. Iain Patton — a milestone moment for the school and the community.
Official opening of changing room in Magola Primary School by Mr. and Mrs. Iain Patton on 28th Feb 2025
Why reusable pads matter
Factory-made pads solve the immediate problem but they are not sustainable — families still cannot afford them month after month. Teaching girls and teachers to make reusable pads from cheap local materials is the long term solution. Once a school has this skill, it can keep producing pads indefinitely at almost no cost. The knowledge stays in the community forever.
We need your support
Due to lack of funds, not all of the planned activities were completed this year. MCS is actively seeking funding to:
- Reach more girls across Magola Sub County
- Build changing rooms in the remaining schools
- Scale up reusable pad making training
- Provide ongoing reproductive health education
MCS volunteer giving health talk to primary seven class Magola primary School
A girl who stays in school changes her own future — and the future of her community. If you would like to fund this work please visit our donations page.