“My first period came when I was 13 in the middle of lesson at school - says Rebeca, 16, from Gulu in Northern Uganda. “When I saw blood on my knickers, I rushed to ask my friend where it was coming from. She said I had started menstruating, but I didn’t understand what she meant.”
Rebecca was advised to have a bath and tell her mother about what had happened. “My mother told me not to play with boys again because I have now grown,” says Rebeca. “When I asked her about the pads, she told me she uses Old cloths and I should use the same. I got a cloth we were no longer using, tore it into pieces, washed it and dried it properly. That’s how I managed my first period and for the long time to follow, at times my school dress got stained and students laughed at me”
Rebeca further asked her friends about managing their periods. “Some told me they use rags, others said they use disposable pads but my parents refused to buy me sanitary pads. Fearing I would stain my school dress, I decided not to go back to school until my periods are done”
Unaware, her period was set to last for longer than days, Rebeca was shocked when the bleeding continued. “It took a full week - 7 school days I missed classes. I was forced to go back to my mother and ask for pads again as I got bruises every time, I used cotton cloth. She still refused. That’s when I started doing manual labour, digging for people, to earn money for pads. When I failed to earn enough, I started using rags again.”Rebeca now has access to sanitary pads through the Healthy Periods initiative implemented by Volunteer Action Network
Volunteer Action Network supports 600 girls with sanitary pads on a monthly basis making sure they stay in school and concentrate on their studies something that has improved their self-esteem and performance in class. We are committed to continues the production and distribution of pads, educate and creating awareness about period poverty and its side effects. We relly heavily on your generoug contribution to make access to sanitary pads a reality to girls and women in Norther Uganda. We kindly ask for your donation towards make Heathy Periods Initative continue reaching deserving girls and women.
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