October 2025 – Phunzira

Phunzira is delighted to share the successful completion of Phase Two of our menstrual health and hygiene program in partnership with Supreme Sanitary Pads, a social enterprise based in Nkhata Bay that produces reusable menstrual pads locally.

Following the impactful rollout of Phase One in six primary schools within the Nyumba Ya Masambiro (NYM) catchment area, Phase Two has now been delivered to the remaining four primary schools—meaning that all 10 primary schools in the area have now received the education and distribution program.

Following the training received in phase one, phase two was taught and rolled out by Stanley and Shidah from Nyumba Ya Masambiro. As in Phase One, the program was delivered to both boys and girls, with a mixture of joint and separate sessions to ensure sensitivity to local customs while actively working to break down stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation.

In addition to student sessions, local ambassadors from the school mothers’ groups were trained to ensure the sustainability of the program. These ambassadors are now equipped to continue delivering menstrual health education within their schools and communities, strengthening long-term impact.

Each student who participated received a reusable sanitary pad pack containing:

1 lined tote bag (which can also be used as a school bag)
5 reusable sanitary pads
2 pens
2 pencils
1 exercise book
1 eraser
1 pencil sharpener

As before, boys participating in the program were encouraged to pass the sanitary pads to sisters, mothers, or friends who could benefit from them—fostering understanding, support, and shared responsibility.

Each pack provides enough reusable pads to manage a monthly period, with pads lasting up to two years when properly cared for. The packs also include educational guidance on menstrual hygiene and safe usage. By providing a reliable, washable, and long-lasting alternative to disposable products or chitenge rags—which are commonly used and highly prone to leaks—the program helps ensure dignity, comfort, and significantly reduces the risk of school absenteeism during menstruation.

With the completion of Phase Two, this initiative has now reached every primary school within NYM’s catchment area—marking a major milestone in our mission to make education more inclusive and equitable.

Supreme continues to operate as a true social enterprise: every purchase supports local employment and reinvests profits into the business and further educational outreach. We are proud to continue working alongside them to address menstrual health challenges, break stigma, and help girls stay in school.

This achievement represents a significant step forward for the Ruarwe community. We now look ahead to finding the funding with the view to expanding the program to the two secondary schools in the area and to continuing menstrual health education for future cohorts of students.

Nyumba ya Masambiro and Ruarwe Health Centre were delighted to host volunteers Jeremy Dobbs and Norma Coward for three months. Jeremy and Norma joined us from the UK for July, August, and September 2025. A retired GP and midwife respectively, their main aim was to spend time supporting Paul Kabuzi and the medical team at the health centre, but once they got to Ruarwe, they got stuck in with so much more.

Initially supporting Paul in seeing patients, and supporting midwife Dan with antenatal appointments, care, and teaching, as well as the distribution of reusable maternity pads, they then took on reorganising the clinic, which needed all hands on deck following both Covid-19 and a subsequent cholera outbreak. They provided funds for much-needed medications and organised and funded the repair of all inpatient beds, as well as the toilet and shower plumbing systems at the clinic.

Meanwhile, in the afternoons, they both got stuck in at Nyumba ya Masambiro. They helped to reorganise the library, creating new labels so that all the books could be easily found and facilitating the distribution of excess books to Bunga CDSS, Khondowe CDSS, and Stepping Stones Primary School. They painted two beautiful murals on the library walls and refreshed the existing ones, which had faded over time. They worked with Stanley, the NYM nursery school teacher, to teach phonics, nursery rhymes, and early reading skills to the children, and then headed into Ruarwe Primary School to paint two murals there as well at the request of the teaching staff.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to both Jeremy and Norma for the incredibly generous gift of your time, your financial contributions, and your energy during your stay in Ruarwe! Yewo chomene! We all look forward to welcoming you again in the future!