SANITARY TOWELS FOR GIRLS IN RURAL SCHOOLS

Menstruation is a subject that is often 'swept under the rug', it is just recently that it is starting to gain attention given the data on the impact it is having on the education of girls. According to UNESCO, 1 in 10 girls misses school during their period, because they do not have access to sanitary pads, and are ashamed to go to school and be ridiculed, often by their male peers.

One of our goals at Joy for children - Uganda is to ensure girls stay and excel in school, so that they can realize their dreams and provide a better future for themselves, and their families. Proper menstrual hygiene management not only allows them to live comfortably, but also makes them more confident and increases their chances of staying in school.

In Uganda and mostly in the rural areas, parents are not able to afford sanitary pads for the girls, Local shops stock sanitary pads that cost on average 5,000 Ugandan shillings ($1.50) a packet – too expensive for most of the predominantly peasant families .

Rural girls have been much affected by the pandemic because they are at home and are not accessing sanitary pads; this is because Periods don’t stop during a pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 are being seen all over the world. Meeting the critical menstrual hygiene management needs of women and girls is central to an inclusive global response that promotes equality there by realizing SDG 10 of reducing inequalities.

$1.50 can get a girl a packet of reusable sanitary pads for 6 months,$ 15 can support 10 girls with 10 packets of sanitary pads for 6 months, support our cause so that these can attend school with dignity and achieve their goals in life.