Girls in Uganda are missing school when they have their periods due to a lack of access to sanitary products, sanitation facilities & the entrenched taboo surrounding periods - an average of 18 school days, per girl, per year are lost. Support 1000 girls within Gombe sub-county to manage their menstrual cycle with dignity, through the provision of affordable, reusable sanitary pads, menstrual health education and hygiene training - keeping them in school & furthering their education.
Periods, a natural part of being a woman, are affecting the girls' education and therefore futures. The girls often have no idea what a period is when they get it for the first time which makes for a frightening experience and they then have to manage their period each month without access to sanitary products. Consequently, they are using old pieces of cloth, leaves and sand, so often fear going to school for risk of staining their uniform and being bullied by the boys.
Just a Drop will implement a menstrual health management programme across 3 schools to enable girls to have their periods with respect and dignity. Both girls and boys will be taught about puberty and menstruation to relieve misconceptions and entrenched taboos, teachers will be trained to support the girls, a local enterprise group will be formed to produce and distribute reusable sanitary pads and soap so the girls can manage their periods hygienically and with dignity.
1) Increased school attendance amongst girls 2) Increased educational achievements and opportunities 3) Girls can manage their periods with dignity 4) Reduced incidences of water-borne & sanitation related illnesses 5) Girls are taught how to maintain & wash their pads for long-term use 6) Enterprise group are empowered & employed, increasing their family income 7) Girls & boys understand puberty & menstruation. The project will empower the girls & transform their lives.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
