Of Menstrual Health Care

#WinterABC2020 #Day17

Comment on a trending current affair.
#Menstrual Health

A week ago, menstrual health was trending and some story that was aired on news broke my heart. I remember sharing the screenshot of the news headline with my team leader at WAMI Foundation (an organization with which I volunteer) to whom it was a confirmation for what the Lord was leading us into. The 9:00pm news headline on NBS television read “During menstruation, a man got me pads, after he asked me to reward him with sex.”

This did not rub me well because I believe one of the ways of making this world a better place to live in is to find solutions to a better menstrual healthcare system. There are gaps as regards the availability, affordability and quality of sanitary towels or others products women use in such periods that need to be filled.

This need for what to use when going through menstruation is pushing many girls who are unable to purchase sanitary towels to getting teenage pregnancies as they exchange sex for pads especially in this season of COVID-19 where there is no going to school and all children are home. Parents are also undergoing financial limitations in some areas forcing many girls to figure out possible helpful solutions and some of these are not good.

To bridge this gap as WAMI Foundation team, we have been moved into running the MY COVID19 Pad campaign in bid to promote menstrual healthcare in Uganda during this pandemic as explained in a write up below;

MY COVID19 PAD CAMPAIGN 2020

1.0 Introduction

In the plight to continue bridging gaps, My Covid19 Pad Campaign comes to bridge the issues surrounding Menstrual Health in this pandemic season. This campaign seeks to solicit and distribute sanitary towels to girls and mothers especially in this season where some are unable to afford a packet of sanitary towels. This aims at raising awareness on the issue of menstrual hygiene management and reducing teenage pregnancies in events where girls are forced to exchange sex for a packet of sanitary towels.

We would have desired to equip them with skills in making reusable sanitary towels, however, this will not be possible given the government’s directive concerning public gatherings in Uganda. It is due to this that we have decided to share a gift of packets of sanitary towels with these girls and mothers as we think of ways through which we can transfer skills of making reusable sanitary towels without public gatherings.

Our desire is to have these ladies feel loved, special, and know their place in the Kingdom of God. We choose to start with a simple giving gesture as this might be the greatest opportunity to save a soul out of its darkness considering the fact that early marriages, teenage pregnancies, and Menstrual Stigma is real here in Africa.

This will be done in two phases;

Phase one is targeting the urban girl child and we are looking at 200 – 300 girls and young mothers in #Kalerwe Area, Kampala district. In July, we shall distribute the first 1000 Disposable Sanitary Towels to young mothers and girls in Kalerwe.

Phase two will target girls in the Busoga region.

Together, let us continue to help the girl child have better menstrual health and hygiene as we raise a more confident generation.
© WAMI Foundation 2020

I am the Lioness Arising!
#Growth
©Words from the Pot

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