Transforming lives in Tanzania 

Two Girls' Brigade members are heading to Tanzania this summer to teach girls about menstrual hygiene – helping them to attend school more regularly

Sally Claydon, Team Leader at 1st Hawkwell and a Trustee of Girls’ Brigade England & Wales, and her daughter Grace, 20, both from Rochford, Essex, are going on the trip with an organisation called Go Make a Difference (Go MAD) in July.
 
They’ll be in the south of the country working with Sally’s sister’s family, plus another family, on several projects such as helping to build steps (replacing a steep, slippery slope that leads to a water supply), maintenance work on church buildings, and some children’s work.
 
However, main focus will be a menstrual hygiene project, which could have a wide-ranging impact, explains Sally, a member of Hawkwell Baptist Church.

'We’ll be teaching girls about menstrual hygiene and also teaching them - and older women - how to make re-useable, washable sanitary pads. 
 
‘Millions of girls are held back by their periods; UNICEF estimates that about one in 10 African school-age girls miss school entirely during menstruation.’
 
The pair hope to be able to take out with them 100 packs which contain a reusable pad, knickers, soap, a sewing kit and material to make further pads. They’ll be using resources from Irise International, a charity that works to support the education and empowerment of women and girls in East Africa through addressing the neglected issue of menstrual hygiene management.
 
Retail Assistant Manager Sally and Grace, a student at the University of East Anglia, hope that people will sponsor a pack for £10 but also welcome donations towards their trip in general.

The photograph shows Sally, right, and Grace, left, with some knickers from the packs they hope to take to Tanzania.
 
Girls’ Brigade groups all over England and Wales provide rewarding, stretching and positive opportunities through which around 10,000 children and young people, between the ages of four and 18, grow and develop in confidence and skills in a Christian environment. If you’d like to find out more about GB you can go to www.girlsb.org.uk or call 01246 582322 for details of your local group.