Malawi to build new girls’ toilets at Mwachedwa Primary School
The new toilets at Mwachedwa Primary will provide sanitation facilities resilient to flooding. Officials say construction should begin soon.
Nsanje, Malawi-The Malawi government will construct a new gender-sensitive toilet facility at Mwachedwa Primary School in Nsanje Lalanje constituency, the area's parliamentarian Gladys Ganda announced, writes Moses Thole.
The project aims to provide privacy and support menstrual hygiene management for female students.
“When I spoke in parliament regarding how my area had been affected by Cyclone Idai, the government promised to build gender-sensitive toilets at Mwachedwa Primary School,” Ganda said.
The storm devastated Malawi’s southern region in 2019. The new toilets will comprise three stalls, and one changing room and promote girls’ right to privacy, Ganda explained.
“Some girls find it difficult to change their clothes especially when are in the monthly period since there is no conducive room at the school,” she noted.
Ganda, who chairs the parliamentary budget and finance committee, said she wants to uplift education alongside pursuing other development projects across Nsanje Lalanje.
A new junior primary school will also be constructed in Group Village Head Melo, which currently only has one CBCC centre serving the area. Students must walk relatively far to attend either Magoti or Nyamjidu schools.
Southern Malawi frequently experienced flooding and was hard hit by Cyclone Idai. In 2019, over 60 people died and around 870,000 were affected by the category 3 storm, one of the worst tropical cyclones on record in Africa.
The World Bank has assisted Malawi’s cyclone recovery initiatives with $120 million in support. Projects have focused on reconstructing infrastructure, strengthening disaster response and improving services like health and education.
The new toilets at Mwachedwa Primary will provide sanitation facilities resilient to flooding. Officials say construction should begin soon.