This project will procure equipment, materials and train 3 young women in production of reusable sanitary pads that will be freely distributed to 1000 unprivileged school girls from Isingiro district in Uganda so they are able to stay at school during their periods. The project will also support 5 schools in Isingiro with water tanks to help the girls store water that they can use for washing during their periods.
According to 2015 UNICEF data, 1 in 10 school girls in Uganda, skips school or drops out entirely due to lack of menstrual products and poor access to proper sanitation. Lack of sanitary products in Uganda is a major barrier to education for school girls. The inability to manage menstruation contributes to absences of 4-5 school days monthly, equating to 20% of the academic year intentionally skipped. Many of these girls drop out of school entirely, increasing their risk to teenage pregnancies.
This project will promote menstruation with diginity through providing reusable sanitary towels to unprivileged school girls to enable them to stay at school during their menstruation. The schools will be supported with water tanks to esnure that girls have access to water for washing. Teachers and students will also be equiped with information on addressing barriers, stigma and silence arround menstruation and boys will be empowered to support girls during their periods.
The project will enable 1000 unprevilaged school girls to attend school during their menstruation. This will reduce absenteeism, school dropouts rates and lower risks of teenage pregnacy and child marriages hence increasing opportunities for girls to leave quality lives with equity, diginity and to realize their full potential.
