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Menstrual Hygiene Management in Ugandan schools

On 28 May 2016, we launched a Menstrual Hygiene Management program (MHM) in Ntungamo SW Uganda to ensure that women and girls hygienically manage their monthly periods. 

This involves ensuring that girls and women have access to information about menstruation as well as access to clean and safe menstrual absorbents.



As part of the access to information aspect of the program, our Program Manager and MHM Ambassadors visited 12 secondary schools within Ntungamo district SW Uganda over 4 weeks. The team spoke with 1175 girls in all as well as some of their female teachers.


On average:

53% of the girls didn’t know what menstruation was before they experienced it

61% of the girls have felt ashamed or embarrassed due to their periods

42% of the girls interviewed miss 2.6 days of school during their periods because they don’t have access to sanitary products which impacts their performance.

Students change their sanitary products every 9 hours.

Our team looked into how girls in Ntungamo secondary schools manage their periods and how they access menstrual hygiene absorbents, and these are their findings;

48% of the students feel bad or very bad during their MPs

73% of the students use reusable pads but on average they change them every 9 hours which is not hygienic or healthy

13% of the students use reusable sanitary pads at school and cloth at home

9.1% of the students use a cloth

4.4% of the students use leaves, mattress stuffing, toilet paper or nothing at all.
Ntungamo

These findings are challenging, to say the least. We cannot allow this situation to persist as it has direct implications for poverty.

We want to offer these girls a hygienic and sustainable way to manage their periods. We also want to ensure that girls do not miss school days because of a lack of access to menstrual absorbents.

We, however, cannot do this without your help and you can make a difference for as little as £1.

£1 provides a girl one pod that includes a napkin and a holder
£5 provides a girl with a full kit
£10 provides two full kits
£20 provides 4 full kits




The pod and kits last for three years making this a cost-effective way of managing periods. Please donate to our program today

Organizer

Ida Horner
Organizer
Let Them Help Themselves out of Poverty
Beneficiary

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