In crowed slum areas of the capital Addis Ababa and adjacent towns, families who earn low-income do not have proper sanitation facilities and face health and safety challenges. Laga Tafo-Laga Bari is a town located about 20 kilometers outside Addis Ababa in Oromia Regional State. The population of the town is 127,000. More than half of the residents live in poverty and unsanitary environment, and half of the population does not have access to tap water.
In this town, lack of toilet and other sanitation facilities severely affects female students both at home and at school. Students at Wabari primary school in the town do not have toilets and safe water at their homes and there was no proper toilet in the school. Female and male students had used the same toilet which was not comfortable for privacy of female students. There was no water to clean and drink. Most female students had to wait and go home to use toilet.
Female students also faced another challenge; they have no means to get sanitary pads. About 80% of the female students are from low-income families and could not afford buying sanitary pads every month. They had to use pieces of cloths during menstrual period. Some female students preferred to stay at home for two or three days during menstrual period.