Keeping girls in school with washable pads

Mar 03, 2013

The day Mbabazi spotted her first menstrual period at Kitarasa Primary School in Kabarole, was the last she attended school.

















“We were honored to be recognized on International Women’s Day 2012 by Women Deliver because we believe firmly in the transformative power of innovation,” Sopihia Klumpp, the director of AFRIpads says. 

According to Klumpp, receiving the award not only helped raise their small organisation’s profile, but  also helped focus attention on a subject that is generally considered a “women’s issue” in a negative sense.  

“Menstruation is one of the most common, shared female experiences and yet it in countries all over the world it is associated with cultural taboos and a stigma of shame and uncleanliness. 

We’re committed to lifting this shroud and believe that our innovative product can play an important role in empowering women in their daily lives, both in Uganda and beyond,” she said.

In only threeyears, the washable pad  has empowered over 125,000 women and girls in East Africa to experience their monthly period with comfort and dignity. 










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To commemorate International Women’s Day, Women Deliver highlights progress made for girls and women by celebrating innovations that improve women’s lives. Of the 25 social enterprises up for voting this year, three are in Uganda.

Kangu is a crowdfunding website which profiles pregnant women. With a contribution of $10 and more, a donors can identify and sponsor a specific pregnant mother and her baby to receive a clean and safe birth with a skilled attendant.

Woman To Woman Foundation is another organisation that is helping to improve access to sanitary pads among schoolgirls by providing resusable pads.  The organisation also distributes ‘promise bracelets’ to increase their awareness on their reproductive health.

Spark MicroGrants is an initiative that provides small grants to low income rural communities to support the management of their local projects like building projects of schools or clinics. The organisation supports members’ weekly planning and management meetings and encourages women leadership.

To vote for any of these organisations, you go online to www.womendeliver.org. Deadline is March 6, 2013. Should any of there organisations emerge among the top 10, they will win a full scholarship to attend the Women Deliver conference in Malaysia in May.

The conference is expected to convene more than 5,000 experts, global leaders and champions for women and girls from more than 160 countries.

Among the major speakers expected are Melinda Gates, co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director, UN Women, Seth Berkley, CEO, GAVI Alliance, Barbara Bush, CEO and Co-Founder, Global Health Corps and  many others from the UN and global women and  health organisations.

 

 

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