Sanitary Pads For Marginalized Girls

Are we ready for the second story on the power of compassion? Button your seat belt, this will blow you away.

Early January 2022, I was placed in the Namutumba community by Teach for Uganda to help primary school children improve their learning outcomes both in the classroom and outside school - narrates Akampa  Secret.

Around April, I noticed that girls in upper classes (p.5 to p.7) sometimes missed school and the reason they gave was a turn-off for me😪. These girls said that during their red days (menstruation periods), they skip school because they do not have sanitary pads, some use old rugs, and others are shy because they think boys will laugh at them in case they stain their uniforms. 

Every month, at least 5 out of 15 girls would miss school. I was so touched because these are rural children who have no information on menstruation. I shared with our senior woman and we called for a brief meeting. We formed a menstrual health and hygiene club where we set up dates when we would meet and share girl issues. 

In our next meeting, we made posters with all information on menstruation and our theme was that queens do not have to feel small when the days turn red.

We taught the girls how to use a sanitary pad and how to maintain a reusable one as well as keep it clean during menstrual periods. (This included washing their knickers, putting them in the sun to dry well, or even ironing).

We made sure our changing room ( which had been abandoned for some time) was cleaned and we put a few things we would need like water, a bucket, jerrycan, towels, knickers, soap, and some packets of sanitary pads just in case a girl stained her dress.

At the moment, the girls are excited about attending school all the time and not missing school just because of menstrual periods. They confide in me and I have also taken a step to ensure that they acquire all the knowledge on menstruation and sex education to curb teenage pregnancies as a result of school dropouts.

Isn’t this so amazing?

We are in the process of learning how to make our reusable pads since most girls can not afford a packet at 1$.

We are also open to learning any skills and acquiring knowledge on menstrual health and hygiene. I feel very proud because through this, the children have been able to fully participate in all school activities and studies without any worries.

Akampa Secret

Fellow at Teach For Uganda