By Regina N. Muhasa | Executive Director (AC)
REPORT FOR THE PERIOD: MAY - AUGUST 2024
SUBMITTED TO GLOBALGIVING ACCELERATOR
BY REGINA N. MUHASA- Executive Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is defined by the United Nations as the use of clean menstrual management products to soak menstrual discharge by women that are changeable in privacy as required, with proper access to water, soap, and disposable methods. If hygienic practices are not followed during menstruation like changing pads after every 4 hours, washing and drying our re-usable sanitary towels properly in the sun, and washing hands after handling the used sanitary pads, then the chances of getting Urogenital Tract Infections increases many folds.”[1]
Each month, 1.8 billion people around the world menstruate (UNICEF). Of that number, World Bank estimates that 500 million struggle to access menstrual products and facilities to appropriately manage their periods. Accessing products and services is just one of a complex set of challenges that contribute to period poverty. Around the world, cultural taboos and societal stigmas continue to impact the health, dignity and wellbeing of girls, and women who menstruate in managing their periods.
At Ravens foundation, we tackle the barriers to safe menstrual hygiene management by training girls and women in making reusable menstrual pads.
INTRODUCTION
RAVENS FOUNDATION (RAF), is an indigenous non-government organization founded in 2018, with the aim of contributing to the process of transformational development in the lives of adolescent girls, teenage mothers, other vulnerable women and entire communities.
VISION: Fanning the Wisdom of Motherhood and Nobility of Womanhood.
MISSION: RAVENS FOUNDATION (RAF) exists to develop and impact women especially young mothers with the love of Christ through sharing the word of God, counseling, life skills training and social services provision, hence enabling them to become women of noble character who continually build their homes.
BACKGROUND
Menstrual hygiene is essential to girls’ and women’s health and well-being. Unfortunately, millions of girls and women worldwide lack access to proper menstrual hygiene facilities and products. The situation is worse in developing countries like Uganda.
According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), all nations should work towards ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages (SDG 3); and ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG 6). In an effort to ensure dignity for women and girls, the United Nations in (2014), declared May 28th of every year a Menstrual Hygiene Day that aims to create awareness and highlight the importance of MHM to different stakeholders.
Activities
Menstrual Hygiene day: Ravens foundation participated in the MHD celebrations 2024 under the theme “TOGETHER FOR A #PERIOD FRIENDLY WORLD.” The overarching goal is to build a world where no one is held back because they menstruate. But talking about this in a country like Uganda seems like a far-fetched dream that can never be achieved because of the difficulties that girls and women face in accessing clean water, sanitation facilities, and affordable menstrual products. These issues are further compounded by cultural barriers and stigmatizing attitudes, often leading to social exclusion and lack of education on menstrual health.
We designed some posters that we shared on social media as a way of calling on society to support women and girls during that period so that more girls can stay in school.
At Ravens Foundation, our goal is to grow the making of reusable menstrual products into a sustainable social business. We are intentionally building this entity with our focus on impact, and providing decent menstrual products to girls and women within the community at affordable costs. We believe that this will greatly improve their general health and also help to keep girls in school.
All our products will continue to be produced locally in Bukomolo village in Budaka district, by local Ugandan women. We plan to expand the project and diversify so that we produce various reusable products including the following;
Challenges
Funding is still a big challenge for us and so we are struggling to maintain the volunteers because their time is now taken up looking for means of survival.
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