School attendance in Ghana is improving thanks to a Plan pilot project which has developed 10 girl-friendly toilets in schools across the country.

Adolescent girls are often absent from school due to menstruation related issues.

The accompanying abdominal cramps, headaches and fatigue, coupled with poor facilities and lack of counselling, all contribute to monthly absenteeism, which can be as high as 20%. It is often a first step to dropping out of school completely.

Design solution

Plan Ghana decided to develop the girl-friendly latrines in response to the difficulties facing adolescent schoolgirls, who also have to cope with poor facilities - including inadequate water for washing, lack of privacy, lack of soap, non-functioning toilets and no disposal facilities.

The latrines also needed to be secure from access by dangerous animals, and in locations where girls were safe from rape or harassment. The design was developed following group consultations with girls. Each unit cost around US $3,500 to build.

Benefits for girls

The latrines help girls in several ways:

• There is a wash room that girls can use to change or clean themselves in privacy.
• The squat holes are slightly bigger to cater for girls' physiological urge to urinate while defecating.
• Rain water is collected from the roof of the sanitary unit which makes it completely self-sufficient.
• Water and soap are provided.
  

Hygiene education

Plan Ghana is working on the development of effective education on menstrual hygiene and management to complement the girl-friendly latrines. The aim is to teach the girls that:

• Menstrual blood is not dirty or unhygienic and unclean.
• The odour during menstruation is caused by bad hygiene of the genitals.
• Personal hygiene skills for menstrual hygiene can help – such as taking a daily bath during menstruation.