That is why UNICEF and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education’s four-day technical mission that began on September 7 in Bakau matters. It is not just about pipes and soap. It is about dignity, attendance, and learning.
The mission aims to roll out the National WASH in Schools Guidelines and the Three-Star Approach, while drafting a two-year roadmap on menstrual health and hygiene. In plain terms: make schools places where children can drink safely, wash safely, and where girls can manage menstruation without shame or absence.
This initiative cannot be overemphasized in view of the fact that health is learning: As UNICEF Rep Nafisa Binte Shafique said, “Children cannot learn effectively when they are sick, when water is unavailable, when toilets are unsafe, or when adolescent girls face barriers to managing menstruation with dignity.” A child with diarrhea, or a girl hiding in a corner, is not in class.
Also, equality starts at the toilet: as rightly stated by PS Loui Moses Mendy we cannot continue to accept that when nature calls on our colleague, they are conditioned to be away from learning institutions.” When boys have access and girls don’t, we are teaching inequality before the first lesson. Segregated, clean, accessible toilets are not a luxury. They are a right.
Small steps, big impact: The Three-Star Approach works because it is practical. Star 1: water and soap. Star 2: separate toilets and menstrual hygiene materials. Star 3: climate-resilient, inclusive facilities. You don’t need a million-dalasi project to start with Star 1. You need commitment.
This initiative also aligns with SDGs 3, 4, 5, 6 and 13, and with our own National Development Plan. Health, education, gender equality, water and climate are not separate files in government. In a school, they meet in one place: the latrine.
But guidelines alone won’t change anything. The test will be in implementation. That means: budget lines for WASH in every school, training for teachers to talk about menstruation without stigma, data systems that actually track which schools have working taps, and involving parents, SMCs and students in monitoring.
It also means ending the silence. Menstruation is not a “girls’ problem.” It is a school problem and a community problem. As PS Mendy noted, parents have a great role, especially for the girl child. Boys must also be part of the conversation so we stop the teasing and start the support.
UNICEF has made its commitment. MoBSE has set the tone. Development partners, CSOs and youth groups in the room have the expertise. Now we need action in every region, every district, every school. Because the measure of a healthy school is simple: can every child, boy and girl, walk in, learn all day, and walk out with dignity?
The Gambia cannot afford to lose a single girl to a missing toilet or a missing pad. This mission is a good start. Let it be the year we stopped accepting absence as normal, and started building schools that work for everyone.