Girls, boys, parents learn how to make reusable sanitary pads

May 21, 2021 – In rural parts of Uganda, most teenage girls cannot afford sanitary pads. As a result, when they are in their periods, they end up missing school. Besides, they face embarrassment when the onset of menstruation finds them in school without a pad.

Because of this, Organic Impact has started training girls on how to make reusable sanitary pads for themselves, using affordable materials that they can find locally. The inaugural training was carried out in Agola Primary School on May 22. A total of 25 girls, four boys, one female teacher, one male parent and one female parent attended the training.

The training involved a menstruation literacy lesson and practical skills session on making sanitary pads using locally available and affordable materials. Participants were also taught how to wash and keep reusable sanitary pads. Each participant made a sanitary pad and committed themselves to teaching their siblings, mothers and friends how to make them. The school headteacher promised to mobilise parents to raise resources for buying the necessary materials for making pads.