Jinja, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | Youth-led non-profit organization Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) has launched a fundraising campaign to provide 20,000 sanitary pads for girls in the Busoga region.
This initiative stems from the organization’s various projects, including the Undo the Taboo Campaign, Imara Girls Festival, Intergenerational Dialogue, I Know Kati, and others, where the connection between menstruation and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) issues for young girls was evident.
Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach A Hand Uganda, emphasized the importance of acknowledging the realities of menstrual health hygiene among young women in Uganda.
The campaign aims to contribute to creating a more supportive environment for young women regarding menstrual health and hygiene.
The announcement took place during the official premiere of ‘Sabotage,’ a drama produced by Reach a Hand Uganda, directed by Mathew Nabwiso, and starring Stella Natumbwe, Sharifa Ali, and Jjemba Dean Austin at Century Cinemax Acacia Mall.
The film explores themes of sexual violence, unsafe abortion, and tradition to raise awareness about Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) in Uganda.
Approximately Shs 5 million was raised during the premiere, and the campaign will run until March 8 (Women’s Day).
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Notably, a section of girls in the Busoga sub-region has resorted to making sanitary pads from soil due to limited access to safe menstrual health hygiene products.
World Vision International reports that inadequate menstrual hygiene management in Ugandan schools contributes to a dropout rate of up to 10 percent of girls at the primary level.
A Ministry of Education and Sports report also indicates that around 23 percent of Ugandan girls aged 12-18 drop out of school when they begin menstruation, partly due to the stigma associated with not being able to maintain cleanliness.
