How menstrual products make a difference for girls in Uganda: ‘I finally feel safe when I have my period.’
Old clothes, bits of an old mattress or sponges. These are the materials that 14-year-old Gloria Karungi from Uganda used to use when she was menstruating. Not really ideal, especially when she had to go to school. But now, this is no longer necessary.
For many girls in Uganda, menstruation is a monthly struggle. For many, buying menstrual products such as tampons and sanitary towels is unaffordable. That’s why girls like Gloria choose to make their own sanitary towels. ‘I sometimes used old clothes or a piece of an old mattress as a sanitary towel. But that was very uncomfortable. I was also afraid that I would leak and that others would laugh at me. So I preferred to stay home when I was menstruating.’
Missing school every month
The lack of sanitary products isn’t the only reason many girls feel forced to stay home from school during their period. More than half of schools don’t have proper toilet facilities. As a result, girls don’t have a place to change their sanitary towels in privacy, and sometimes they can’t even wash their hands after using the toilet.
Missing school every month often puts girls at a disadvantage in their studies. ‘In my school, girls often got lower grades. Not only because they couldn’t go to school often, but also because of all the stress surrounding their periods,’ says Gloria. ‘It affects so many things.’
Learning and playing without worries
Gloria's school participates in Simavi's WASH, Learn & Share programme. This programme focuses on improving water and sanitation facilities at schools in Uganda. This programme also pays attention to menstrual health. Students, including boys, are taught why they get their period and how to deal with it. In addition, this programme should ensure that no girl has to miss school when she has her period.
Thanks to this programme, all the girls at Gloria's school also received a handy gift: a menstruation kit with reusable sanitary towels. These sanitary towels can be washed and reused, which means that they don't have to buy new sanitary towels every month. The menstruation kit also contains two sets of underwear. These kits cost only €7 each, and for many girls at the school, this small donation has had a big impact: 'Getting my period was a big burden, but now I can do everything I normally do again. I don't miss school anymore, and I can learn and play without worries,' says Gloria.
A role model for her classmates
The reusable menstrual products make a huge difference for Gloria and her classmates. Not only do they not have to miss school anymore, it has a big impact on their self-confidence. Since Gloria started using reusable sanitary pads, she has become a role model for her classmates. Among other things, by starting a conversation about menstruation to break taboos. Even her teachers notice it. ‘She not only changes the mentality of the girls who are ashamed of their period, but also of the boys who sometimes tease them about it’, one teacher notes. For Gloria, a simple menstrual kit ensures that every girl has equal opportunities for education and a good future.
