Gender Equality Uganda Project #7857

Donate sanitary pads to 500 schoolgirls in Uganda

by Uganda Youth Skills Training Organisation

Project Report | Jan 27, 2025
MENSTRUAL MANAGEMENT TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

By Johnmary Tusingwire | project leader

school administration participating in the process

Sanitary distribution to the poor urban school undergoing girl child project by Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization (UYSTO), established in 2017 under GlobalGiving, has significantly improved academic outcomes, knowledge and confidence for poor urban schoolgirls by addressing menstrual management challenges. However, a period-long gap in support has highlighted challenges that need urgent attention.

Key Achievements

Improved Academic Performance: Provision of sanitary materials allowed girls to focus better on their studies.

Reduced Absenteeism: Girls' school attendance improved during menstrual periods.

Higher Enrolment: Neighbouring schools saw increased transfers as girls sought this support.

Boosted Confidence: Sensitization campaigns reduced stigma and empowered girls.

Consistent Attendance: Improved menstrual health ensured uninterrupted learning.

Advocacy for dignified menstruation: Young girls are now advocates for dignified menstruation in Kampala schools.

Number of the beneficiaries: Over 2000 poor urban school going girl children have benefited from the project and we anticipate that a full project ending, at 100% funding, will have supported over 2500.

Challenges

Economic Barriers: Many families cannot afford menstrual products, leaving girls unsupported.
Issues with effectively engagement of different segments of donors: This has seen the project taking much long time as anticipated, though hoping to improve in the coming proposed project campaign “Yes We can”

Conclusion

Sanitary distribution to the poor urban school undergoing girl child project with its components; menstrual management and disposal awareness, has been pivotal in achieving academic excellence and knowledge for beneficiaries and it’s believed that the sustained support is essential to build on these successes and address current challenges.

Now that the project is at its last stage of ending, by having been funded at 90%, we would like to appreciate all our donors in all kinds; physical support, kind support, knowledge and encouragement that made us reach to this funding level of this project. Bravo Brave to all of you who have been actors in achieving this project. We are soon bringing a new project which is looking at general Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization’s sustainability, being driven by Yes, We Can campaign. The project will be construction of UYSTO’s training centre in Wakiso where we have been able to buy land.

Recommendations

Parental Restoring Regular Support: Parents to ensure consistent supply of menstrual hygiene materials.
Enhance Parental Awareness: The final project end meeting must engage families to foster a supportive environment for the safe learning of poor urban girl child.
Scale the Program by other actors. Other actors specially those that UYSTO has trained to produce re-usable sanitary pads. Expanding to more schools to benefit a larger demographic.

Reinstating and strengthening the program will ensure menstrual management continues as a cornerstone of academic success for girls.

Teaching young girls to use sanitary pads

Field officers ready with sanitary wears .

Permalink

Jan 23, 2024
PSYCHO-PAIN IN POOR URBAN SCHOOL GIRLS' EYES.

By JOHNMARY TUSINGWIRE | PROGRAMS OFFICER

Girl's tragic confession on menstrual periods

In 2023, Uganda Youth Training Organization (UYSTO) made a series of follow up activities in one of our beneficiary schools “Ttula Primary school-Kawempe” and found out that most of the girls in upper classes (primary four to primary seven) had dropped out of school and the few who had remained also were experiencing hard times with regular absenteeism and stigma from their male counterparts for the fact that they were finding it challenging to effectively manage their menstrual periods. This was attributed to lack of support from their parents who are always struggling with other basic needs and UYSTO who had come up as a savior with provision of sanitary pads funded by GlobalGiving, had taken long to come back with the support in form of the pads.

During our engagements we decided to discuss with young girls, their male counterparts, school administration and responsible teachers who expressed that due to the fact that students were no longer receiving sanitary wears, the issues of absenteeism and school dropout were increasingly at a high rate. Whereas, one of the pupils narrated on how her parents had failed to provide her with sanitary pads instead she decided to look for old clothes, cut and get some pieces to use during her menstruation periods. However, one of the boys narrated, “My sister whom we study together in this school is stealing my stockings and use them when in periods and when I asked her why bad manners, she said mummy don’t have money to buy sanitary pads”.

During the discussions with the school administration about how the support from Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization funded by GlobalGiving had affected the girls’ performance at school, one of the teachers was disappointed and worried in her feedback whereby she was concerned that the support had taken long to come again. In addition, the school head teacher said that in their reports, girl’s performance in class had declined, many girls had dropped out from school, absenteeism of girls due to menstrual periods also increased, decreased enrollment of girls in upper classes due to lack of sanitary pads support.

The tragedy even was expressed in the beneficiaries’ eyes which constituted the psycho-pain they were going through in their struggles.

Male pupils' experience with siblings-girls.

Permalink

Oct 4, 2023
TRYING TIMES FOR SANITARY PADS BENEFICIARIES(GIRLS).

By TUSINGWIRE JOHNMARY | PROGRAMS ASSISTANT

the menstrual health sensitization session

The sanitary pads project at UYSTO has been in existence since 2017 under GlobalGiving with a good reachability to the beneficiaries (poor urban school girls) . It is evident that the set objectives had been under approached by the project however of lately our beneficiaries seem to be in trying times whereby the project lastly delivered the menstrual sanitary materials in june,2022 which so far one year with out support.

Uganda youth skills training organisation (UYSTO) usually conduct regular quarterly visits for the project monitoring to ensure updated results but on our previous quarter visit to the beneficiary school Ttula primary school-Kawempe with 130 girls supported every year, it was witnessed in the general environment that the girls were suffering with insufficient support from the parents based on their poor economic back ground.

The girls and the school administration are always hopeful for the menstrual material support from Uganda youth skills training organization funded by GlobalGiving whereas considering the school administration records the head teacher of the school in her communications reported the following improvements: the girls’ class performance had improved since the existence of sanitary wears, reduced issues of absenteeism due to menstrual periods, the enrolment of girls in upper classes increased following the girls in other neighbouring schools to register at the school hoping for the support of menstrual material support, improved confidence amongst girls due to general awareness and sensitisation about menstrual periods, regular class attendance by girls due to improved menstrual management.

According to the above shared improvements by the headteacher, if there was constant support with menstrual materials, the girls’ general performance at school would be excellent with improved menstrual health.

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.