In 2019, a small group of volunteers from the Isle of Wight travelled to a remote school in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Here, they built a water purification tower to provide clean drinking water for the children at the school.
At the time of the build, one of the volunteers – Bethan – had her period. There was no running water or changing facilities and the only private space was a tiny cubicle with a tarantula on the wall.
It became clear that, alongside health risks such as Dengue Fever and lack of clean drinking water, period poverty is a major challenge that Cambodian girls face. Lack of water, changing facilities, period products and menstrual knowledge, result in girls getting ill, as well as missing huge chunks of their education.
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During the 2021 lockdown, the team had an idea. They made the the link between clean water, latrines, menstrual hygiene education and reusable sanitary products – allowing girls to return to school and break the poverty cycle.
Bethan, Phea and Lyna formed a team and with the help, support and generosity of some incredible businesses, communities and individuals, the first Bopha School Project was completed in March 2022.
Bopha School provided the Sebabromok Miyasita Primary School and local village girls with a double latrine, 2 x full day educational workshops on menstrual hygiene, as well as period kits that included reusable sanitary towels, laundering bags, journals and tracking charts for all workshop participants.
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Like to know more?
Watch the Bopha Documentary...
We have just completed the second Bopha School Project, Preah Trapang Primary School, a tiny school, deep in the jungle that supports 81 students. Find out about what happened in the blog.
