Stitching Dignity: How Two Champions Are Ending Period Poverty in Rural Zimbabwe
Across Zimbabwe, thousands of girls miss school every month simply because they lack access to menstrual products and safe sanitation. However, hope is not lost as a grassroots movement led by youth champions is rewriting that story.
The sun dips behind the granite hills of Mutoko, casting long shadows across the dusty schoolyard of Tsiga Primary School. Inside a modest classroom, laughter and concentration fill the air as a group of girls gather. Their hands are busy with fabric and thread, stitching not just reusable menstrual pads, but something far more profound: dignity, confidence, and community.
At the centre of this quiet revolution is Viola Flo-Jo Mutambudzi, a teacher and Rural Youth Champion with the Kuyenda Collective – a project supported by Education Out Loud and working to improve rural youth’s right to education in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Equipped with the skills and knowledge from the Youth Champion training, Viola Flo-Jo Mutambudzi founded Comfort4Teens 101, a club that provides girls with menstrual kits and, more importantly, a safe space to discuss what often feels shameful.
“We talk about periods, yes,” Viola says, “but we also talk about being proud of who we are.”
A Simple Kit, A Transformative Change
Period poverty is a global issue, but its consequences in Zimbabwe are severe. Organisations like Forum for Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI) and UNICEF estimate that between 1 in 10 and 62% of rural girls miss school during their menstrual cycle, losing up to 20% of the academic year. The rest often rely on unhygienic alternatives—old clothes, newspaper, or even cow dung—which leads to infections, shame, and lost education. The 2023–2024 El Niño-induced drought worsened these challenges, making the lack of clean water and private toilets a devastating barrier to staying in school.
The girls’ kits that Viola and her students are stitching at Tsiga Primary School contain five reusable pads, two pairs of underwear, a pair of tights, and a sanitary bag. These items are transformative. In rural Zimbabwe, many girls lack access to basic menstrual products. Without underwear, pads can’t be worn securely. Without tights, physical activity risks embarrassment. Without a sanitary bag, privacy is compromised. As a result, many girls simply stay home.
A Mountain of Resilience
Viola refuses to let these challenges end a girl’s academic journey. When the club’s sewing machine broke, she hand-stitched pads herself. When the school lacked clean toilets, she began producing homemade detergents. And for months, she carried buckets of water to the school until she successfully advocated for water pipe installation on the premises.
“Before I became a Rural Youth Champion, I tried to advocate for running water alone, and I failed,” Viola admits. “Learning about collaboration and community engagement empowered me to find allies who helped make it happen.”
Her efforts have had a direct and measurable impact, reducing absenteeism by 80%.
“Girls now come to school even during their periods, knowing they have the necessary resources and support,” Viola says.
Viola’s vision extends beyond the girls. She also started a mental health and grooming club for boys, teaching them a marketable skill like barbering. “This project helps us help our sisters keep smart and dignified,” one boy proudly shared.
The Movement Spreads
Not far from Tsiga Primary, at Nyakabau Primary School, another champion, Tabeth Jasi, is mirroring Viola’s success. Tabeth, also a Kuyenda Collective Rural Youth Champion and educator, has created an immersive, stimulating classroom and made tackling period poverty her core mission.
“When I came to Nyakabau Primary School, I identified Period Poverty as a barrier to education,” Tabeth stated, remembering how 15 of every 20 girls regularly missed school during their periods, losing up to four days of learning each month.
Tabeth Jasi discovered that the girls couldn’t even afford decent underwear. She invested in the materials, providing kits with pads, underwear, and a sanitary bag. They are now even selling the reusable pads to local women as a fundraising initiative. Following the establishment of the Reusable Pads Club, she saw absenteeism drop.
“My club not only makes pads, but I also use it as a platform to teach my girls about menstruation and proper hygiene,” she said.
The Numbers Speak
Yamurayi Mushakwe, Project Manager at Teach for Zimbabwe, says: “Viola and Tabeth are testimonies of the potential within our rural youth—their ability to create home-grown, sustainable innovations to the learning crisis. Kuyenda Collective is proud to continue strengthening their capacities as they amplify their voices against educational inequalities.”
And Luyanda Shilangu, Programme Officer at Public Service Accountability Monitor, notes: “The story of Viola exemplifies one of the strategic objectives of the Kuyenda Collective: ensuring that its intervention leaves a lasting impact on the Rural Youth Champions.”
Back at Tsiga Primary, as the girls finish their sewing, Viola watches with quiet pride. The mountain behind the school looms, a solid, enduring symbol of the resilience she has helped cultivate.
“For as long as the mountain stands,” Viola says, “so too will the human spirit. Hope will remain, innovation will flourish, and dignity will rise—even in the most unlikely of places.”