Support Freedom for Girls Uganda

Picture it… you meet Patricia from Fort Portal, Western Uganda. She’s 10 years old and

has just had her first period. She cannot afford adequate menstrual products other than to

use banana leaves that cause her rashes, or rags, that have already been soiled. She’s

bullied by her male peers because she is “leaking” in class and has to deal with symptoms from her period that she doesn’t quite understand or know how to manage. Every month,she is subject to constant harassment and violence due to a lack of education and stigma around menstruation in her community. As she grows older, her periods get heavier and heavier without many resources to support her. She is starting to miss significant time off school to manage her period and her symptoms at home. Eventually, she is forced to drop out.

Now, consider this being the reality for a large portion of women and girls in Fort Portal,

Western Uganda. According to data, 300 girls from 14 schools show that 74% of women use

banana leaves or rags as a replacement for period pads; and, 40% of those girls would have to leave school if they didn’t have pads that could support their menstrual cycle.

In 2018, Freedom For Girls Uganda, a non-profit, social enterprise launched to stop the stigma around menstruation and focus on gender equality, environmental sustainability, and increase awareness for menstrual and sexual health amongst boys and girls.

With the support of local seamstresses, we create washable, reusable, cloth based,

environmentally friendly menstrual pad packs for donation and retail. Our pads provide 3+

years of menstrual health protection for women and girls, especially those facing financial hardship and other vulnerabilities. We train and encourage local women and girls to become seamstresses, selling their products and contributing economically to themselves and theirhouseholds.

Since 2018, we

- Have donated pads to over 3000 girls and women

- Delivered empowerment education sessions to boys and girls, spearheaded menstrual and sexual health training sessions, working with 9 schools.

- Talking to over 5000 children.

- Have created education sessions that have led to more advocacy and safety for girls

and women on their periods, from their male counterparts. We have seen a direct impact to the community.

Gender-based violence and bullying has reduced significantly in the schools that havereceived our sexual and menstrual health education sessions; and there has been a

reduction in shaming and spreading misinformation (e.g. stigmas and taboos).

Let’s continue our shared commitment to a greener more equal world. While our work continues to impact so many women and girls in Fort Portal, Western Uganda, we wish to continue to grow and expand our mission; and empower more health equality advocacy groups and local healthcare facilities to directly work with us.

Right now, we are registered as a UK NGO, and we would need to raise financial support in order to register as a Uganda NGO. Without this registration, our ability to collaborate with

local health organisations is restricted, leaving us unable to ensure that women and girls

receive essential gynaecological support, as part of our efforts. Establishing these partnerships would enable a more comprehensive and holistic approach to menstrual health protection in the region.

Your support is an investment in gender equality and a safer and a more sustainable world not just for the Earth, but for the community.

Having practiced for nearly 6 years by operating in schools and other educational spaces, we have developed a strong connection to our community here. But we can do more and we want to do more to ensure women and girls have more holistic menstrual and sexual health training and support. We want to continue to reduce the gender wealth gap in Western Uganda, supporting and training more seamstresses to earn money for themselves and their families, while also supporting their community through the increased availability of our cloth pads. In addition, we want to ensure more men and boys remain well-informed advocates for

their community, protecting and safeguarding women and girls while they are on their periods.

We kindly ask for your support!

With £1000 We will be able to register as a Uganda NGO where we can partner with local

and East African advocacy and health facilities and groups. We can ensure that more

women and girls have greater access to medical and health support services, including

check ups and cervical screenings.

With £2000 We will be able to continue to support at least 100 more girls and women,

especially those who have endured economic hardship or are in very remote, rural areas, to

have access to more pads and menstrual education.

With £3000 We will directly invest more towards sewing workshops to keep seamstresses employed, creating 500 menstrual pad packs that will be marketed and sold to businesses and members of the public.

With £5000 We can open up a Freedom For Girls Centre. We can offer additional

women’s groups sessions, counselling spaces, and cervical cancer and other health

screenings in house. We can train new facilitators to teach at the Centre. And, we can train seamstresses to create 1000 more menstrual packs.

We know that communities perform better when everyone has the ability to feel safe and contribute.

We are deeply grateful for every donation we receive, and your generosity truly means so

much for us. To help us achieve our goal, we kindly encourage a minimum donation of

£10.