Summary: Pearl Integrated Development Agency plans to provide free sanitary pads to 300 schools in Busia district Eastern Uganda the project will work with a private company making reusable pads to supply hygiene sanitary pads to girls from very poor disadvantaged families.
Challenge: Menstrual management is a daunting challenge for many adolescent girls and women in rural communities as many have no access to hygiene sanitary pads, absence of clean water for washing, private changing rooms in schools has led girls to rely on crude, improvised materials to absorb their menstrual flow the situation reduces most girl's experience to a monthly dose of discomfort and shame this has contributed to the high dropout rates from school.
Solution: The project will provide counseling and guidance, information on reproductive health, school outreach sensitization programs, form students clubs, training of student leaders & senior women teachers, conduct question and answer sessions in schools as a forum to address these issues, awareness arising to encourage men to provide appropriate support and distribute reusable sanitary pads on termly basis.
Long-term impact: The project will help improve the overall health status of girls, the misconceptions that surround puberty and menstruation will be demystified. Increased knowledge about good menstrual hygiene and breaking the silence surrounding menstruation, adolescent girls will be able to access vital and accurate information and facts on menstrual hygiene and lastly it will increase school attendance, retention thus significantly lead to a reduction in school dropout rates of girls
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
