To stem spread of diseases & to protect the environment, we need to cause positive attitude & behavioural change towards menstrual hygiene management practices among Ugandans. Mentoring young women in use of theatre for development, in order to ignite conversations in their respective communities & to become innovators who take leadership to encourage their respective communities to adopt best practices for menstrual hygiene management, is an effective sustainable way to cause desired change.
About 6.6 million, 52% of menstruating women and girls in Uganda use single-use and mostly non-biodegradable disposable pads. Monthly, they generate over 26.4 million pieces of such pads containing medical waste. Uganda does not have the requisite policies and systems for effective safe disposal of used menstrual pads. Such used pads with menstrual blood are currently mostly being disposed off together with other waste into garbage skips; from where it is collected and ends up in landfills.
Select & train young women in theatre for development & participatory action research, so they become menstrual hygiene change agents. Trained change agents will be able to develop community theatre productions from start to finish, perform them, ignite & document conversations in their respective communities; & use the findings to innovate solutions. Trained change agents will also be a valuable resource in communities since their skills can be used for advocacy on other public health issues.
Consciousness will be raised among trained menstrual hygiene change agents & others who come into contact with them, about the dangers to public health & environment of unsafe disposal of used menstruation pads. Women will demand for period friendly public services, such as period friendly toilets; and for duty bearers to safely dispose off pads. No used pads will be in the ordinary waste disposal structures, thus reducing the public health risk of spreading diseases, for example, Hepatitis B.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).