Government urged on menstruation

By Abou Kisige

Communities have been urged to break the silence on menstruation to reduce the increasing rate of school dropouts among teenage girls.

“Government is asked to speed up the policy on menstruation to see the incorporation of access to menstruation materials in Universal Primary Education (UPE) structure,” the Country Director for the Netherlands Development Organizations (SNV) Jeanette de Regt said.

She said according to a study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre and SNV Uganda, female students mostly in rural areas stay away from school for at least eight days of study in a school term because of menstrual periods.

Jeanette said Menstrual periods have negatively affected the academic performance of the girl child and it is high time government and the general public broke the silence.

She made the remarks at the close-up of a community empowerment programme which was implemented by UNICEF and the embassy of the kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala.

Jeannette noted that over 67 percent of girls in rural schools dropout due to lack of sanitary pads during their menstruation periods.

“The Community Empowerment Programme has showed that teenage girls miss between 3-5 days in a month because of menstruation,” Jeanette said.

She said research further shows that on average a school girl misses 24days representing an 11percent total of the 220 learning days in a year.

Jeanette said as long as the girls wash the pads properly and do not share them, they are determined to be safe.  We have consulted with International doctors, gynecologist and nurses about them.

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Pupils of Kyembogo Primary School in Kyenjojo district in Western Uganda demonstrating to officials of both SNV Uganda and Ministry of Education how to make low cost sanitary towels at their school recently.

During the CEP, SNV together with United Nations Children’s Fund sensitized both boys and girls in over 200 schools on menstruation Health Management (MHM) especially in rural schools. The programme also initiated schools into making reusable menstruation pads.

They also organized school competitions for both boys and girls on how to make local pads in the shortest time possible to interest students and nearby communities to create awareness.

The Assistant Chief Administrative officer of Kasese District Wilson Asaba noted that CEP has helped bring parents back to schools; a critical element in improving the performance of teachers and pupils.

“SNV Uganda has been a valuable partner in the education sector, supporting interventions in the sector since 2007. Districts like Arua, Bundibugyo, Kasese, Kyenjojo, Lira, Nebbi, Nwoya and Soroti have benefited from the child mentoring programme and the making of reusable pads in schools,” Asaba said.

He advised schools and communities to start producing reusable sanitary pads from local materials to improve hygiene among adolescent girls in both primary and secondary schools,” Asaba said.

The reusable pads are made from towering flex form and washable fabric which makes them safe and healthy.

Reusable menstruation pads are reported to have kept girls in school in many African countries including Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe among others