FREDAfrica Pads Project

September 2021 Update:

Many parents have not been working after a big lockdown we had due to covid-19. Parents are unable to meet the costs of pads. This has increased number of infections among girls especially those in the age of menstrual cycle. Many girls have resorted to the use of leaves, papers and rugs which has increased their vulnerability to various infections. Our target is to reach to at least 470 girls who are still at home with re-usable sanitary towels, for a total cost of $1,471 USD. Being that schools are not yet opened, many girls out and those in schools are still at home with nothing to use during their menstrual cycle.  

About:

In many rural communities of Uganda the biggest number of school dropouts is girls because of inconveniences during their menstrual periods. This is mainly because affordable and hygienic sanitary protection is not available to girls. They resort to the use of unhygienic rags and cloths which put them at a risk of infections. Reusable sanitary pads are a sustainable and easily renewable resource, allowing the girls to wash and reuse them rather than having to buy disposable pads every month. In addition, they are comparatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly.

FREDAfrica pads project is a community project targeting vulnerable women and girls. This project is aimed at forming community women and girls teams, get trained on how to make re-usable sanitary towels and distribute them to many women and girls from remote areas of Uganda. This project has increased girls attendance in schools especially those from rural schools. They have nothing to fear during their menstrual cycles. It has also reduced on dangerous infections and at times death from paper, leaves, and dirty clothes women have been using for their cycle.