Keep her in school

Hello our GlobalGiving Donors,

This a message of hope from the community you have changed 

In the Mwanyagiri community, scarcity has become a defining feature of daily life. Access to essential resources—such as food, menstrual pads, and basic healthcare—is severely limited. This ongoing shortage forces families into impossible choices, and young girls are bearing the heaviest burden.

Without menstrual pads, many girls miss up to a week of school each month. Repeated absences lead to falling behind, losing confidence, and ultimately dropping out entirely. Once out of school, these girls become extremely vulnerable to the most pressing problems facing girls in our community: forced early marriage, sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy, domestic servitude, and emotional abuse. Some are forced into marriage by families struggling to survive, trading their futures for a dowry or simply one less mouth to feed. Others turn to substance abuse as a desperate coping mechanism—drugs offering a temporary escape from hunger, hopelessness, and neglect. Tragically, many become pregnant as young as 15 or 16, becoming mothers while still children themselves, with no means to support their babies. These girls are not making choices; they are surviving the only way they know how.

But change is possible. Thanks to donors like you, our community has begun to end these harmful practices. Your support has enabled us to distribute reusable menstrual pads, keeping girls in the classroom where they belong. We have worked with local elders, parents, and religious leaders to prevent forced marriages, creating community-led safeguarding committees that identify at-risk girls and intervene before it is too late. We provide confidential counseling and vocational training for young mothers and those recovering from addiction, helping them reclaim their dignity and build a sustainable future. Girls who once missed school now attend regularly. Those once promised to older men are now learning trades and returning to class.

Humanitarian assistance does more than offer immediate relief—it restores continuity, safety, and hope. Your partnership helps Mwanyagiri’s girls walk the thin line between scarcity and survival. Together, we are proving that no child has to sacrifice her future for today’s needs. Thank you for standing with us.

With deepest gratitude,

F SSIBU MISSION FOUNDATION-UGANDA