Poor management of menstruation affects many girls globally and especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Challenges associated with effective Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) include lack of access to clean, effective absorbents; Lack of access to soap, water and lack of privacy. In additional, inadequate social support and presence of taboos lead to psychosocial consequences of menstruation including shame, fear, anxiety and distraction. These affect girls’ ability to thrive and succeed within the society.Specifically in our area of operation, because of poor menstrual health and poverty, Half population of teenage girls do not attend school, become pregnant due to exchange sex for basic needs of life i.e. Sanitary pads which are a monthly need that they can’t afford to have hence exposing themselves to high risks of poor maternal and child health. Most of them are isolated by their already poor parents, attempting unsafe abortions resulting into deaths, dropping out of schools there by recycling misery.
In Uganda the government is prioritizing the improvement of Menstrual Health Management (MHM) among girls and women for example by the launch of the menstrual hygiene charter 2015 in which the government and civil society organizations committed they would work together to promote MHM.
Unfortunately poor MHM occurs in high, middle and low income areas around the country (Uganda). However the highest percentage of prevalence is amongst marginalized communities such as villages (Jandira village, Sokolo parish, kasanje Town council) driven by poverty that leads to lack of access to basic menstrual necessities, Lack of entrepreneurial skills, unemployment, fear and anxiety.
Several factors contribute to poor Menstrual Health Management. In many third world countries’ societies, girls and women are under pressure to get menstrual basic needs such as sanitary pads, water, soap among others due to poverty and lack of community support hence this leads to dropping out of schools to avoid shame, teenage pregnancies and spread of STI’s.
Despite all this becoming rampant in the community of Jandira village, Sokolo parish, it has been worsened by the far reaching impact of the covid19 pandemic that led to closure of schools, total lockdown hence limited access to basic needs which has increased poor menstrual health management.
Tuezuule initiative being gravely overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of victimized women and girls in Jandira village, Sokolo, kasanje, Wakiso district Uganda and therefore empowers the already vulnerable girl child, single and adolescent mothers and women in the community through fighting poverty and poor menstrual health management through training how to make re-usable sanitary pads for personal use, giving out to charity and commercial motives to tap into the far reaching impacts of poverty including but not limited to poor standards of living.
This project seeks to usher about 1000 people from extreme poverty through equipping them with business hands on skill in making sanitary pads that will not only improve their standards of living but also promote good menstrual health management through availing basic menstrual needs, counseling and health education.
The project aims at tapping in on the potential of girls, adolescent mothers and vulnerable women through sensitization and rights awareness on generation, capacity building and setting-up entrepreneurship trainings, counseling sessions in the community. Considering the socio-cultural and financial needs of the community, the proposed project is intended continuous and socially feasible, economically viable and environmentally sound.
Tuezuule Initiative is already working towards achieving it’s goal of empowering over 1000 women and girls through this project. Having had commenced a little some have already gained from the project whereas due to limited funding we have not yet expanded our services to reach our goal.
The mission of Tuezuule initiative is to establish an all inclusive economically empowered community where girl child, Young mothers, vulnerable women and youth generally can ably be recognized on the mainstream and be able to make their decisions on the same table that affect their lives.
