Reusable Pads Skilling Project and Menstrual Hygiene - Uganda

Hello everyone,

Every month millions of Ugandan girls struggle to deal with issues surrounding menstruation periods that are simply too expensive and out of their reach. They, therefore have no choice but to use pieces of old rags, old and unclean T-shirts, leaves, polythene bags, toilet papers and some dig menstrual holes where they seat during their periods instead of using sanitary towels. A culture of shame and embarrassment forces them to keep silent about this practice.

Every month that passes, these young girls worry about their next period, where to find the pads, or how they will live through the same experiences of the previous month. Most of these girls have been forced to have sex in exchange for pads which has led to increased teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.

Addressing personal sanitary assistance in Kanawat Kotido district

Kanawat Kotido district being one of the slummy and remote areas in Karamoja has the majority of the girls who cannot afford monthly pads, lack of clean water for use, being stigmatized in communities, and wearing pads is seen as a taboo. The Covid-19 pandemic has again made the situation worse, as most lack money to purchase ordinary pads.

As young and vibrant IEEE Student Volunteers from Mbarara, Kyambogo, and Makerere universities, we have come up with a solution to train these young adolescents and women on how to make their own reusable sanitary pads using simple available local materials that can last for one to two years and practice proper menstrual hygiene management.

We shall host several training sessions each week to dispel the myths about menstruation and to teach the community members how to make their reusable pads. We shall include boys as well so that they learn how to support these women and help reduce stigmatization.

Support us to further expand the project to more people and areas

We intend to award women groups that we shall identify in the area with sewing machines and materials. This will enable them to make and sell pads thus support their families or pay for school fees. In addition, owning pads reduces the number of girls dropping out when they skip school or marry early on during their cycles.

With an initial funding of $5,000 from IEEE HAC (Humanitarian Activities Committee) and IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology ), we would like to further expand the project to more people and areas. The additional funding will be used mainly to cater for our transport costs, buy more materials such as cotton flannel, sewing machines & mackintosh, train more people and cover a wide area. However, we have pointed out more associated challenges to this project as follows.

Inaccessibility to clean water: Karamoja being a dry and remote region, there is also a challenge of accessibility of clean water, and we would like to call upon different organizations to join our hands to see if we can provide boreholes in the area.

Lack of panties: The majority of the women do not have underwear which makes it impossible for them to use the sanitary pads. Thus, the need for additional funding to provide panties that they can use during their menstrual periods.

Lack of washing soap: They have no soap for washing their reusable pads hence we intend to equip them with liquid soap-making skills. This as well, calls for additional funding.

We plan to expand our project up to 10,000 pads and train over 1,000 women through our initiative not only in Karamoja but also in various parts of Uganda since it is a major problem.

For More information visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IEEEreusablepadsprojectuganda

Thank you

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