During Kyobe Foundation’s visit to Asinge in Eastern Uganda, we emphasised to the community about the importance of proper menstrual health for a girl child. Our team led by our team leader Nakiyaga Miriam engaged over 50 girls on a menstrual health debate. The girls expressed the challenges they meet during their monthly periods from boys making fun of them at school when they stain their uniforms, to using old mattress pieces, rags and leaves to manage their periods which leaves them with infections. One of the girls said she felt like dropping out of school because menstruation had become a shame to her and was tired of mockery from the boys each time, she stained her uniform due to lack of safe menstrual materials she would use. At Kyobe foundation we believe that education is a right, not a privilege and that no girl should drop out of school because of something natural as periods.
By addressing menstrual hygiene management, we are ensuring that periods don’t become barriers to girls’ access to education. When we break the chains of silence around menstruation and champion menstrual health, we enable girls to stay in school and realise their dreams. When girls are educated, the societies in which they live become more productive and prosperous. By the end of the day, our Kyobe Foundation team had supplied all the 50 girls with packs of reusable pads that they could rely on to manage their periods. Reusable pads and menstrual cups are a sustainable solution for girls struggling to access safe menstrual materials. Access to safe menstrual materials puts an end to period stigma and ensures girls don’t drop out of school because of periods. The Kyobe Foundation team also trains girls how to make their own reusable menstrual kits which ensure self-reliance and sustainability.