AFRIPADS, in partnership with Women and Girls Rights Advocacy Uganda (WAGRAU), has donated 1,000 reusable sanitary pads and panties to learners in several schools across Serere District.
The initiative aims to combat menstrual poverty, which continues to hinder girls from attending school during their menstrual periods and affects their overall confidence.
As part of the donation exercise, the girls received training on body changes, the menstrual cycle, and proper menstrual hygiene management.
The training was intended to help them understand that menstruation is a normal biological process and not an illness.
In Serere District, high school dropout rates, teenage pregnancies, and early child marriages have been partly attributed to poverty.
Many girls are lured into early sexual relationships by older men in exchange for basic needs that their families cannot afford, including sanitary pads.
Schools that benefited in Phase One include Olio Primary School, Akudum Primary School, Serere Primary School, Awoja–Kanyangan Primary School, Nananga Community Primary School, Kidetok Primary School, Serere Township Primary School, Adoku Primary School, Ojetenyang Seed Secondary School, and Okulonyo Primary School.
Serere Township Primary School Senior Woman Teacher, Amechat Agnes, said it is heartbreaking to watch girls miss school because they lack sanitary materials.
She noted that some girls end up in exploitative sexual relationships with older men who later abandon them.
“These girls are vulnerable because they lack basic necessities. Some parents are unable to provide pads, which pushes the girls into early sex,” she said.
At Awoja–Kanyangan Primary School in Kateta Sub-county, Senior Woman Teacher Grace Akello highlighted the unique challenges faced by girls in fishing communities.
She said many girls skip school to engage in fishing activities to earn money for items such as pads, panties, books, and PTA fees.
“Being next to the lake presents many challenges. We constantly talk to the girls because without guidance, many would abandon school,” Akello added.
WAGRAU Director Deborah Akello said menstrual challenges still contribute significantly to absenteeism and school dropout among girls.
“We want to eliminate the small but critical issues that force girls out of school, and one of them is lack of pads,” she said.
She encouraged parents to openly discuss menstrual hygiene with their daughters and urged senior women teachers to continue engaging boys to support their female peers during menstruation.
Several beneficiaries expressed gratitude to AFRIPADS and WAGRAU, noting that reusable pads will help them attend school more comfortably.
“Some of us used to stay home during our periods, but now we won’t miss class because we have pads,” one of the girls said.
Although the Government of Uganda has committed to improving menstrual hygiene through initiatives such as developing a national strategic plan and signing the Menstrual Hygiene Charter, gaps persist. These include limited implementation of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) policies, the high cost of sanitary pads, and cultural beliefs that perpetuate stigma.
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