Lets talk about sex babyyyyyyy

Ok, well not JUST sex... Reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, puberty and reusable menstrual pads...but it all relates! I've been busy working with my two interns from Makerere University, Sam and Elsie (who have been a GODSEND to me) preparing all the supplies for my project.  I finally received my grant money about a month ago to teach reproductive health and how to make reusable menstrual pads (RUMPS) to school going girls.  The goal of this project is to teach girls about a topic which is considered a very private issue in Uganda and in many parts of the world, MENSTRUATION.  I am working to try and break the silence about this topic and engage both females and males in discussion about menstrual hygiene.  This is a sensitive topic, however not talking about it can be harmful to the emotional and physical wellbeing of young girls.  

In Uganda, you can find girls beginning their menstrual period (MP) without ever being taught about it by their parents or in school.  Can you imagine as a young girl finding blood on your knickers while you're at school and having no idea why it's there or where it came from? This can be pretty traumatizing!  In a culture that encourages silence on this subject, this contributes to the cycle of poverty and under development of a society.  For example, a girl who has no access to adequate sanitary pads due to lack of money will miss school during her MP, or she may skip school for fear of bleeding through her uniform and boys laughing and pointing at her, or she may not go to school because her school doesn't have proper hygienic facilities equipped with toilets and water, where she can manage her MP.  These are problems girls face not only in Uganda, but much of the world, yet materials and support for girls everywhere should not just be a privilege but a right.  We know that in order for a country to develop, it takes both male and female involvement.  If a girl is forced to miss school during her MP every month, she falls behind in her studies, sometimes has to repeat a school year and if she's unlucky she drops out.  You may have heard of the recent initiative started by Michelle Obama called "Let Girls Learn".  They have partnered with Peace Corps and Peace Corps Uganda is one of the pilot countries for this program which is exciting! Taken from the Let girls learn website   https://www.whitehouse.gov/letgirlslearn : "To educate a girl is to build a healthier family, a stronger community, and a brighter future. Unfortunately today, 62 million girls around the world are not in school. Half of them are adolescents. We know that countries with more girls in secondary school tend to have lower maternal mortality rates, lower infant mortality rates, lower rates of HIV/AIDS, and better child nutrition. But too often, a girl who could change her world for the better is locked out of that future by the circumstances of her birth or the customs of her community." 

My goal for my project is to do exactly that, Let Girls Learn; allow girls the same opportunity i had at their age and go to school during their MP.  I wish for girls not to fear to go to school because they were born with a body that undergoes a NATURAL and very NORMAL process each month!

P6 Girls Class learning about Reproductive health!

Teaching the female reproductive system 

We began the session by teaching about the female reproductive system.  We discussed each part of the reproductive system and its function including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and vagina.  Although there were a few laughs in between, i was proud that at the end the girls could correctly identify each part.

Nakabango Primary School - In uganda, primary schools go up to class P7, then the students move on to secondary school for between 4-6 years.  This is a government primary school found about 30 minutes outside the large town of Jinja.  It is about a 10 minute walk from my health center.  I immediately formed a partnership with this school when i got to my new site and have been working with them to teach health education.  Most of the government schools in Uganda are known to have less resources, poor facilities for teaching, large class sizes,  and teachers going many months without receiving their salary.  

Elsie teaching about what happens during puberty 

 Elsie then engaged the girls in a conversation about puberty.  Again, there were some laughs, however there were also some very serious girls writing down in their notebooks what she was teaching them!

Showing the girls the example RUMP i made

A bit about Reusable menstrual pads (RUMPS):

- They are reusable, and can be used over and over for up to 1 year. 

- The base pad is made with bed sheets and a piece of mackintosh (thin plastic) sewn inside to prevent leakage and two straps sewn on the outside to hold the towel/ liner

- Each girl received 3 towels which were cut and sewn along the edges. The towels act as the absorbent material for the blood

-  Each base pad has two wings which wrap around the knickers and a button to secure the pad to the knickers

-  The girl removes the towel liner when its time to be changed and soaks, washes and lays the towel out in the sun to dry and reuse again.

- Using reusable pads helps to slow down the filling up of latrines, which is a problem due to girls and women throwing disposable pads (Always pads) in latrines.  These decompose extremely slow! 

- RUMPS are very cost effective compared to disposable pads.  Girls usually use 2 packs of always pads per MP, which costs 5,000 shillings ($1.51) per month. This is 60,000 shillings ($18) per year.  Many families in rural areas cannot afford to spend this money every month, so their girl child doesn't go to school during that time.  The cost to make 1-2 RUMPS is between 1,000 and 3,000 shillings ($.30/ $.90) and they last for a year.  

Sam teaching the girls about RUMPS

One of the biggest issues when it comes to discussing menstrual hygiene, in my opinion, is a lack of involvement from males.   In a country where women hardly discuss this topic, you can imagine men definitely don't, however men are critical in addressing the needs of young girls as they make up a large part of the government and are the ones making policies! My friend and intern i have been working with, Sam, has been so involved in this project and i think it has really helped him to open up and talk about this issue.  Every man has a sister or a wife or a girlfriend or a girl child and it is important for them to also be involved and understand this so that they can support the women in their lives.  Remaining ignorant and silent about it is NOT the answer.

Sam demonstrating how to put the RUMP on the knickers....the entire class was cracking up laughing, including me! He was a good sport about it :) 

The girls beginning to make their pads, we had enough supplies for each girl in the class to sew 2 pads

My supervisor Tabitha even came to see the project ! 

A very well sewn finished product (minus the button)!!

All the girls in P6 (34 girls)!

My project is far from being finished; this was the first step!  Next week we will tackle the P5 class, then i still have to teach P7 and move on to the secondary school nearby! Preparing for this has been a lot of work and stressful at times, but it has all been worth it after seeing the smiles on these girls' faces!