Tackling Absenteeism of girls in rural schools of Luuka and Iganga Districts
School absenteeism is one of the main areas that affects many government aided schools in Uganda. However, considering recent findings, Menstruation is the one of the causes of absenteeism amongst girls in rural Universal Primary Education(UPE) schools.
Lack of Sanitary Pads for girls often leads to drop out of school because of lack of personal care products, which keeps them at home for some time every month. This makes them lag behind in academics and most of them eventual drop out.
Similarly, inadequate information on menstrual hygiene and reproductive health rights and responsibilities leads to early pregnancy resulting stigma eventually contributing to school dropout.
As a way of intervening, PECA, together with our funding partners introduced an initiative of distributing reusable sanitary pads, at the beginning of term 1 in January 2018 targeting girls in four primary schools in the rural district of Luuka in eastern Uganda that is Kiroba primary school, Tabingwa primary school, Kamwirungu primary school and Namukubembe primary school. The initiative was aimed at distributing free reusable sanitary pads to girls from primary four (4) to primary seven (7) in these schools.
In this initiative, PECA, together with the funding partners, introduced distribution of reusable sanitary pads for the girls in the classes mentioned above, in the government schools where we work. We realized that it is not enough to distribute the pads alone, it is also important to educate the girls about menstrual hygiene and sexual reproductive health right.
For every pad distribution activity that we carry out, the girls are educated about menstrual hygiene. This includes ways in which they can keep themselves clean during their period, e.g by bathing as often as they can, changing their pad in time, washing their panties and reusable sanitary towels, and ways of keeping away body odor using the local methods around them.
In the recent years, we realized that distributing the pads is not really sustainable because it is not something we can do for them their whole lives. We introduced workshops where we can teach them how to make these pads on their own. The parents are also invited during these sessions so that they can learn how to make these sanitary pads using the locally available materials in the market not only for themselves but also for their other children. The parents and learners noted some advantages of the pads and learning how to make the pads, here below:
- The materials are readily available on the local market and therefore convenient for them to make.
- It saves them money of buying monthly disposable pads.
- It could be a source of income for them: when they learn, they can make many and sell to others in their communities.
- The children can easily learn and take care of themselves whenever there is need for the sanitary pads.
- It is a sustainable way because now that they learn how to make the pads, they do not have to wait for the distribution drives to access the reusable sanitary pads.
- The sanitary pads are easy to use and wash, and offer maximum protection
- The pads are environmentally friendly and last for a longer time(reusable)
- The pads are comfortable and don’t allow moisture build up.
With the above advantages noted, the workshops have become part of the distribution sessions in every school where we work and the results are satisfactory. In some of the schools, the boys were also included in these sessions so that they can learn because they are classmates to the girls, have sisters, and are future fathers and this knowledge is very important to them to them as well.
These topics on menstrual hygiene and sexual reproductive health rights are also handled with the students in the weekly programs named girl talks and focus group discussions. These are sessions that take place between the students with our social workers to see that they are educated about the different issues that affect them and how they can be addressed.
This initiative has enabled us tackle one aspect that affects girl’s attendance in schools, which is menstruation (in particular lack of the necessary padding during menstruation, so they stay at home during that time of the month and miss out on learning)
As PECA, we can only do as much as the available resources can allow but there is still a lot to be done in the schools and out in the communities so that this knowledge is availed to as many people as possible.