AMUDAT: Reusable sanitary pads help to keep girls in school

Amudat, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 200 girls in Looro primary school Amudat district have been trained to make reusable sanitary pads.

The school project of Reusable sanitary pads that started in 2022 has now attracted many girls who feel relieved from the stress of managing their menstrual cycle. The pads are made from locally available materials such as fleece fabrics and towels which are very absorbent and comfortable to use.

According to the girls, they often missed classes for a full week before returning to school and this could affect their academic performances.

Ruth Faith Teperuth, a pupil says that the menstruation period has always forced them to miss classes to avoid the embarrassment and the shame associated with menstruation because they cannot afford sanitary pads.

Teperuth said that since she learned how to make reusable sanitary pads, she is no longer worried about receiving her periods because she has a solution.

Esther Chelengat, another pupil said that before attaining the skills, she used clothes as pads because her parents could not afford to buy sanitary pads.

‘’The reusable sanitary pads have really helped us a lot, we are even teaching our colleagues from other schools and those girls from the community how to make and use the reusable sanitary pads, they also like it’’ Chelengat said.

Gabriel Lobot applauded the school management for considering training boys on how to make reusable sanitary pads. He said they were involved in the training and boys can freely speak to girls about the menstruation periods and help them to manage the burden.

Prisca Amongi, a senior woman teacher at Looro Primary School said that they have so far trained over 150 girls. She says that the initiative was developed after training the teachers who passed the knowledge to the girls.

Amongi observed that this is the only affordable alternative for girls, especially from rural communities who are stricken by other challenges such as poverty and hunger.

She says that the school administration buys them materials that the pupils use for making sanitary pads.

Agnes Acayo, the school head teacher said that besides normal lessons in the classes, they have secured free hours, especially in the evening to train pupils how to make liquid soap and reusable sanitary pads.

Acayo said that the project has helped to improve the girl child enrollment at school and has boosted their learning because of full participation.

In 2016, President Yoweri Museveni during his presidential campaigns pledged to provide sanitary pads for every school ongoing girl to enable them to manage menstruation periods all in vain.

However, the Ministry of Education has embarked on teaching school girls in both primary and secondary schools to make reusable sanitary pads.

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