Absence to Presence. No girl should miss school: Period!

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My name is Anne Nicholls and was raised in Kenya before finishing my education in Scotland and then establishing myself as a teacher and university lecturer and mentor in London.

I bring a unique cross-cultural perspective to education. My journey from East Africa to the United Kingdom has shaped both my teaching philosophy and my ability to connect with students from diverse backgrounds.

Now retired, I am dedicated to a crucial mission: empowering girls in underserved communities through menstrual and sexual health education and the gift of a period dignity bag.

My work addresses a critical issue. Many girls in these communities do not come to school school during their period, missing 4, sometimes 5 days each and every month leading to early dropout and gender disparity.

This absence can have devastating consequences, not just academically but puts girls at a greater risk of child marriage, gender-based violence, adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, particularly HIV.

For seven years, I have partnered with charities, doctors and community leaders to provide menstrual and sexual health education together with a donation of reusable pads in remote rural and slum areas: allowing girls ithe chance to choose to stay in school to complete their education and fulfil ambitions and dreams.

These beautiful cotton pads from PadMad Kenya are reusable, sustainable, eco friendly and are now lasting 6 years giving the girls uninterrupted education to allow them to choose education if they wish.

My work now extends to engaging boys in these crucial conversations, educating to break stigmas and misconceptions and creating a more supportive environment for everyone.

No girl should miss school because of her period. With simple solutions like reusable pads, no girl has to. This is how we ensure unbroken learning for every student - by transforming monthly absence into constant presence, one classroom at a time.

One dignity bag cost £20. This provides the reusable pads, knickers, soap and education.

We spend the day/s with the school, teaching ( both boys and girls), educating about menstrual, sexual and reproductive health, talking about hormones and emotions, how to track your period, how STIs are contracted, adolescent pregnancy and HIV.

Each student is gifted a dignity bag which now lasts about 6 years.

Your gift of a bag is so much appreciated by the students. The gift may be small but I've seen firsthand how simple reusable products together with education don't just keep a girl in school—they protect her from sexual exploitation, restore her dignity, and open pathways to futures previously unimaginable, so thank you for thinking of us. Thank you for believing in us and Thank you for your most generous gift.

Asante Sana,

Anne x