It is not just the toilet itself that has made the difference. It is also the recognition that girls' needs, situation and challenges are real. It is the signal that girls are important. Yes, that they are and are seen as a resource and a force in society, and that they have the right to be given the conditions to educate themselves and help shape their own future.

- This toilet affects our everyday life and our future. Now we have the opportunity to keep up better with education and thus we have better conditions for the future, says 15-year-old Piya Mong, one of the students at ABC Secondary School in Mithakhali.

Lack of protection has been a problem

The school has around 250 students in grades five to eight. Piya and his friend Shukhi Mony, 12, show off the school's new accessible toilet. It houses both a traditional toilet with a hole in the floor and a water toilet, the first in the area. There are also several new sinks and a cupboard full of everything a girl might need during her period.

- "When we haven't had access to sanitary towels, we've used clothes and other textiles as protection, but it's not very good because it's so unhygienic. The water we wash ourselves and our clothes in is not very clean either, and there are many risks of disease," says Piya.

School - a safe place

The girls' math teacher, Selina Akter, confirms that the toilet means a lot. The girls now feel much safer and their school attendance and results have improved significantly.

- In the past, when the girls had their periods, they avoided coming to school. Now they have access to everything they need to feel safe and hygienic here at school, and they miss less classes," she says.

Previously, all the school's students had to share two worn and very dirty toilets. The walls of which are not sealed, through gaps you could peek in even though the door was closed.

- The old toilet was so dirty, you didn't feel safe there," says Shukhi.
- "Yes, and there was always a queue, and since we didn't want to use them, we preferred to go home if we needed to go to the toilet. But because of the road, we rarely came back," says Piya. She adds:
- It feels great that we have a new toilet! It's so clean here, no dirt. There is running water and sanitary pads.

Fewer interruptions in schooling

Piya and Shukhi have a couple of kilometers to go to school and the road can be very busy. Despite this being the case for most of the school, they and many others usually chose to walk home to go to the toilet. Despite the fact that they would then miss classes, which clearly affected the results.

- The girls really didn't want to use the old toilets. Some of them avoided drinking water the whole school day so they wouldn't have to go," says Selina Akter. She continues:
- "It also took a lot out of the girls' concentration to keep thinking about how to avoid the toilet. They were unfocused but didn't want to talk about it either.
- Yes, now we are much more present in school than before. It feels safe and it feels fun to be here. We no longer miss so much of the school lessons," says Piya.

The Shonatola Bridge School in southern Bangladesh is bustling with life. Lessons follow one another. First math, then language, then sports. And then the science club and the girls' group. When the bell rings, it's break time. Sabona and Amina are best friends and are in year seven. They say this school is different from other schools in Bangladesh in many ways.

-"The school means safety for me. Here I have learned to speak in front of people and here there is clean water and clean toilets," says Sabona Akter, who is 15 years old.

Because her family could not afford it, she was forced to drop out of school after grade five. She was at home for two years before, after this school was built, she was able to start again.
- "If I hadn't gotten a place at this school, I would have had a completely different life. I would have been married off or forced to take a job at the textile factory to help support my family," says Sabona.

Only school in the area

Two cohorts of students are currently attending Shonatola Bridge School in southern Bangladesh. The school is the only one in the area for children in grades six to eight. It is located in a rural area with difficult access. Thanks to solar panels, the school has electricity and internet access, allowing the children to benefit from both digital and classroom-based education. There are separate toilets for girls and boys and access to clean drinking water. Many of the children attending the school live in extreme poverty and would not be able to continue their studies if it were not for the school. Many of them have previously been forced to drop out of school.

Being a girl in Bangladesh

14-year-old Amina Akther is also happy to have the opportunity to continue her studies. She talks about what it is like to be a girl in Bangladesh. "Many have a long and dangerous journey to school. And that there are risks of assault and abuse that mean that girls should not go out alone. Many girls also risk being married off. And then there is menstruation, which causes many girls to miss large parts of their schooling.

- "Many children here stay at home during their periods and miss a lot of school," she says.

Girls can now come to school even during their period

At school, girls receive a lot of support, which they do not take for granted based on previous experiences.

- There is a separate toilet just for girls, with pads and everything you need, it feels safe. We girls can come to school even when we have our periods, the school helps and supports us," says Amina and continues:

- In school we learn about sanitation and hygiene. About washing our hands properly and taking care of ourselves. My mom is very happy about the opportunities I have now, she has not had those opportunities.

At the Surjer alo Child center in southern Bangladesh, 16-year-old Ayesha Akter and 15-year-old Preema Das participate in the children's club activities. Here they have learned about children's rights and practiced expressing their feelings, needs and opinions. 16-year-old Ayesha tells us:

- Before, I couldn't talk to my parents at all, but it's better now. Now they hear me and my opinion matters, that makes me happy.

Her friend Preema Das, 15, fills in:

- I used to be shy and no one in my family knew what was going on or what I was going through. I often felt overlooked, especially when my brothers got more attention than me. It's better now but it's still very unequal.

Lack of sanitary protection and clean toilets has been a problem

The girls are almost finished with secondary school and both dream of studying further. Keeping up with school has been tough. They both go to a government school and the lack of sanitary pads and clean toilets has been a problem ever since they started menstruating. Preema tells us:

- In the past, we and our mothers used clothes as protection.

- Yes, there were. There weren't always pads or other protection, so we used clothes, but it was unhygienic in many ways. Now we can buy sanitary pads through the center for half the price, which makes it easier," says Ayesha.

Missing school due to menstruation

Both girls say that they have missed quite a lot of school due to being at home during periods of menstruation. 

- I used to stay at home for the whole period, but now I usually only stay at home for the first two or three days.

- To avoid missing too much, we try to study at home, but it's clear that people have made it harder to keep up," says Preema.

They dream of changing

They talk about life as a girl in Bangladesh, about everyday life and that they feel that although girls and boys should have the same rights, boys are often given priority.

- "Boys are more important in the family and they are always given priority in society and in school," says Preema.

- "Girls don't have the same rights as boys in practice," says Ayesha, citing an example of a particular dish in Bangladesh, where the head of the fig is considered the tastiest part. She continues:
- "My brother is always asked if he wants the fish head, I don't want the fish head but I would like to be asked," explains Ayesha.

Despite the challenges they face, the girls have clear goals. They want to work for the betterment of society and they want to be involved in changing their situation and that of others.

- Soon I will have a higher education than my brother. My mother supports me, she never got to study herself, so she wants me to have this opportunity," says Preema.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Alice's life went from safety to danger in a matter of hours. She saw her home and her entire childhood town destroyed in a few days of intense fighting.

Alice is 13 years old and comes from the town of Hostomel, located a few miles northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Hostomel was subjected to air strikes, shelling and heavy ground fighting that left homes, schools and shops in ruins. Even running water, electricity and heating disappeared. All that was left was destruction and fear.

- Our house was damaged. All the windows were destroyed and almost everything we owned is gone. Now I only have a cell phone, but it's hard to do schoolwork on it," she says.

After nine days in a shelter, Alice, her older brother and their mother managed to escape the city. Alice only had a backpack with the bare essentials. A pillow, an extra pair of shoes and a cell phone charger.

For the past year, 14-year-old Viktoria has been living with her mother, father and older sister in a one-room modular house in the Ukrainian city of Irpin. Before the war, the family lived in an apartment in Irpin, but everything changed one morning at the end of February 2022 when the family was woken up by loud explosions after Russia started its war against Ukraine and fierce fighting broke out in Irpin.

- It was very scary. We rushed to a shelter where we spent a day and a night," says Viktoria.

The next day, the family was evacuated from the city. All but the father then made their way to Poland.

- My father couldn't come with me. "All men under the age of 60 must stay in Ukraine to defend the country," explains Viktoria.

In early April, the Russian army withdrew from Irpin and Viktoria's family decided to return. They didn't want to stay in Poland because Ukraine is their homeland where they want to live. Before they returned, Viktoria knew that her family's house had been destroyed in a Russian attack.

- But when I returned here and saw it with my own eyes, I felt terrible. It was destroyed and black with soot. I was very sad," says Viktoria.

Support from Erikshjälp's partner organization

Initially, the family stayed with relatives in Irpin, but in the fall of 2022 they moved into the room in the modular house that is now their home. The room is 13 square meters and the family shares a bathroom, toilet and kitchen with other IDPs.

- Our living conditions are completely different from how we lived before, but I've gotten used to it. Now it feels okay," says Viktoria.

She goes to school in Irpin and in her spare time she mostly hangs out with friends. Sometimes life gets boring, but on this day Erikshjälpen's Ukrainian partner organization WCU has been visiting and had social activities. Viktoria has participated in them with some other children and young people. During the activities, the children get the opportunity to process traumatic experiences while having a fun time.

- I love it when volunteer organizations come here and do activities with us or give us presents. For Christmas and New Year last year, we had to write Christmas wish lists. I wished for, and received, a power bank that I often use here," says Viktoria.

Dreaming of lasting peace

Electricity is often lost in the 'modular city' because many power plants have been destroyed in bombings. The Russian army often fires missiles at Irpin, but the Ukrainian air force manages to destroy most of them in the air.

- The airplane alarm sounds quite often and then we have to run to the shelter. It's scary, but we've had to get used to it," says Viktoria.

Victoria usually reads or draws when she is scared. As an adult, she wants to be an artist.

- Now my greatest wish is for our house to be renovated so that we can move back home. I don't know when that will happen. It might take five years," she says.

Victoria believes, and hopes, that Ukraine will win the war and that there will be a lasting peace.

- Even though there is still a war going on, I have high hopes for a better future," concludes Viktoria.

Author: Bengt Sigvardsson

She is called a "hygiene hero"

Afsana Khatun is 13 years old and lives in an area called Pargobindopur Abashon in Bangladesh. In the community, Afsana has been given the title of "hygiene hero". Through the children's club that Erikshjälpen supports, she has learned about personal hygiene. Afsana now teaches her knowledge to family and friends, which has led to improved health for everyone around her.

Diseases spread easily

Apart from the fact that few people in the country have access to sanitary toilets, there is also a lack of understanding about how to dispose of waste safely. As a result, diseases are spread through contaminated waterways where garbage is dumped, and despite government interventions , progress is too slow. That is why it is important that children, like Afsana, become advocates for good hygiene.

At the kids' club, they talk about the importance of washing often with soap and brushing your teeth every day. They have also talked about small things you can do in everyday life to keep things clean around you. For example, wearing different slippers in the toilet than the ones you wear at home.

Fewer people get sick

It is Afsana's persistence and knowledge that means those in the village are now seeing an improvement with fewer people falling ill. All thanks to her teaching people about the importance of good hygiene.

Author: Anton Eriksson

October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child. On this day, like all other days, Erikshjälpen wants to draw attention to the situation of girls in the world and emphasize the power of education as a tool for change. Today, more than 600 million girls receive little or no education. There are many reasons why girls around the world are forced to drop out of school, but poverty is often a root cause.

Thank you to those who support Erikshjälpen's work and to those who, through lottery purchases, help to improve the situation of girls. You are helping to ensure that children like Keya and Suraeya get an education and can dream of a better future.

Author: Frida Vingren