Tabitha: Confidence restored, dreams rekindled
In Rumbek, South Sudan, Dignity Kits are helping schoolgirls manage their periods with confidence. With access to sanitary supplies and hygiene education, girls are staying in school, participating more, and performing better—restoring their self-esteem and unlocking their potential.
Tabitha, a 19-year-old student in Grade 8, once missed up to five days of school each month due to lack of sanitary products.
“I used to sit in one place until my period ended. I had nothing to use. It was difficult,” she recalls.
Like many girls in her community, she felt isolated and fell behind in school.
Dignity kits as catalysts for social change
That changed when she received a dignity kit that included reusable pads, soap, underwear, and hygiene education. With these resources, Tabitha now attends school confidently and dreams of becoming a doctor.
“Now I feel free at school. I attend all my lessons and can walk freely during my period. I feel happy and empowered.”
Alongside the supplies, she and her peers learned how to manage their periods safely and with dignity.
Through the Adolescents for Change project, dignity kits have become more than hygiene tools—they are catalysts for confidence, education, and social transformation.
“Now I feel free at school. I attend all my lessons and can walk freely during my period. I feel happy and empowered.”
Tabitha, 19
Changing mindsets
The project has reached over 51,000 people and has helped shift harmful social norms around menstruation, child marriage, and gender-based violence. Over 8,000 girls and women received dignity kits, leading to improved school attendance and reduced stigma. Community leaders, including chiefs and religious figures, now advocate for girls’ rights and support access to sexual and reproductive health services.
In Lakes State, the project’s advocacy contributed to the enactment of a law banning early and forced marriages—an unprecedented step toward protecting girls’ futures.
By combining dignity kits with education, community dialogue, and youth empowerment, the Adolescents for Change project is not just changing lives—it’s changing mindsets. It’s proving that when girls are supported, entire communities thrive.
Project in numbers
- Over 51,883 people were reached by the project, with 65% being female.
- Access to adolescent-friendly SRHR services rose from 18% to 82%.
- 3,015 GBV survivors were identified and supported.
- 62 abducted children were reintegrated into their families.
- 1,050 households, 59% female-headed, received cash assistance—shifting power dynamics and promoting financial independence for women.
Categories: Education, Sexual and reproductive health and rights
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