UMSC marks Dignity Day for girls and women

RELIGION|MUSLIMS|DIGNITY DAY|GIRLS

KAMPALA - The Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), Friday, cerebrated the Dignity Day for girls and women despite the challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Presiding over the ceremony at Tagy Hotel in Kampala, the UMSC General Secretary, Ramadhan Mugalu, called upon men to participate in promoting girls' hygiene.

According to Mugalu, Dignity Day aims to promote the values of understanding, equality and love.

"With these values at their core, individuals can go on to create communities that honor and practice peace, inclusion and justice," Mugalu revealed.

He explained that men should do this by providing sanitary wears to the young girls and daughters, instead of leaving everything to women.

‘Men should make sure that on their monthly shopping budgets, girls' sanitary wears must be included in order allow their daughters go through menstruation well," Mugalu said.

He explained that the task of caring about young girls should not be left to only women, but an effort that requires even men so that girl children are kept in schools.

Mugalu noted ever since the UMSC launched the dignity day in 2018, through Juma prayers, Eid and daily prayers in different mosques, they have reached over three million people among the Muslim communities.

This year's celebrations were celebrated under the theme ‘Period Don't Stop for Pandemics, Neither We Do.'

Mugalu explained that the theme aimed at ensuring dignity for girls and women through good menstrual hygiene management and breaking the silence on challenges young girls face.

He applauded Faith in Water and Energizing Solution, a UK based charity organization for supporting the project that has enabled them to work diligently.

A 2013 research done by Build Africa and National Sanitation Working Group indicated that 30% of girls leave school for lack of sanitary pads while over 60% of them absent themselves from school during their menstruation.

Speaking via zoom, Susie Weldon, from Faith in Water, which is the lead partner in the Dignity for Girls project applauded UMSC for making awareness among the Muslim saying menstruation is still a challenge among school girls which needs a combined effort of both parents.

"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, women and girls still have to undergo their periods, so let's keep educating our children about the same," Weldon said.