Reach A Hand Uganda, a youth-led non-profit organization focusing on youth empowerment, has commenced a fundraising campaign to provide 20,000 pads for girls in the Busoga region. The initiative stems from the organization’s ongoing projects nationwide, including the Undo the Taboo Campaign, the Imara Girls Festival, the Intergenerational Dialogue, and I Know Kati.
Humphrey Nabimanya, the founder of Reach A Hand Uganda, emphasized the significance of addressing menstrual health hygiene issues among young girls and women in Uganda. He stated, “It is imperative for us to come together and recognize the realities of menstrual health hygiene among young girls and women in Uganda. This drive is aimed at contributing to the creation of a more robust supportive environment for young women regarding menstrual health and hygiene.”
Nabimanya made these remarks during the official premiere of ‘Sabotage,’ a drama produced by Reach A Hand Uganda. Directed by Mathew Nabwiso and starring Stella Natumbwe, Sharifa Ali, and Jjemba Dean Austin, the film addresses themes of sexual violence, unsafe abortion, and tradition to raise awareness about Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) in Uganda.
At the premiere, approximately shs5 million was raised from the guests in attendance. The campaign is set to run until March 8th, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
Recent reports highlight the dire situation faced by some girls in the Busoga sub-region, resorting to using soil as makeshift sanitary pads due to limited access to proper menstrual health hygiene products. World Vision International notes that inadequate menstrual hygiene management in Ugandan schools contributes to a dropout rate of up to 10% among girls at the primary level.
Furthermore, a Ministry of Education and Sports report on menstrual health management implementation in Uganda revealed that approximately 23% of Ugandan girls aged 12-18 drop out of school upon reaching menstruation. This dropout rate is partly attributed to the stigma associated with inadequate menstrual hygiene practices.
The fundraising drive initiated by Reach A Hand Uganda aims to alleviate these challenges and create a supportive environment for young women’s menstrual health and hygiene in the Busoga region and beyond.
