It is unfathomable to think that a menstruating middle school-aged girl would be forced to forfeit her education due to her monthly cycle, but in remote village communities in Africa, this is the harsh reality. Without proper—or any—toilet facilities, menstruating female students do not dare attend school.

SSAAP attempts to combat this injustice in a twofold way. Through monthly educational programs at rural schools, Heather Cumming teaches health basics workshops on how simple tactics such as washing hands before cooking, or how constructing a toilet to defecate in, as opposed to a river which many use then for swimming in, laundering in and cooking and drinking from can save the lives of disease-vulnerable children and the elderly. Without basic sanitation and hygiene education, communities do not stand a chance for a long life without losing their beloved children.