THE PRIDE OF A WOMAN IS FINALLY RECOVERED IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

It has been long since the girl child has suffered silently with menstrual problems in primary schools. Most girls have no information about how their bodies change from childhood to adulthood and those who know from science do not take it serious because they study to pass! Mothers fear to talk about it because they are shy! Then who will speak out for the young generation?

KALI has taken this seriously because it found out that most girls drop out of school because of menstrual hygiene. They do not get enough information about menstruation that when they finally face it, they stain their clothes in class and boys laugh at them which embarrass them and they finally leave school or isolate themselves from other people because they think that they are abnormal.

Ms.Betty Katusabe, KALI Director, demonstrating to the pupils how to make low cost sanitary pads

You may wonder now what these children have been using as pads. I happened to ask that question to girls from Buhathiro, Kihungamiyagha , Kihungu primary schools and they told me that they use old clothes stolen from their little siblings nappies, some pick these old clothes from garbage pits, and others just stay in bed to spoil their beddings. Worse still, these girls do not have knickers to hold these clothes, yet they have to involve in school co-curricular activities at school. This causes to their pads to drop in public and there is no more embarrassment than this. It clearly explains why the enrolments of girls reduce as they grow to be promoted to higher classes.

KALI therefore came up with the idea of making re-usable pads (RUMPS). We first sensitize the children about menstrual hygiene then demonstrate on how to make these pads. We use a clean cotton or poplin cloth, a scissor, an exercise book for measurements, a needle, a thread, a button, chalk or pencil to measure, and any cotton or thick clean cloth, a Kittenge or even a towel to make a re-usable pad which is made to imitate the disposable pads sold in the shops. This has been done in 15 schools of Bukumbia, Mahango, Nyamisule, Bishop Egdio, St. peters Kibalya in Mahango sub county, Kitabu, Kitabona, Kyarumba, Kihungu and Kihungamiyagha in Kyarumba sub county, Buhathiro and Kibirigha in Ihandiro sub county, Mpondwe primary and Nyabugando P/S in Mpondwe Lhubiriha town council, and Kisolholho primary school in karambi sub county.

The girls! Ooh they are very happy that someone can live happily as one girl from Kibirigha   primary school said “at last! The embarrassment of stamping is over”. And even the mothers who attended appreciated the idea that they promised to sensitize other parents towards the same but still need to be sensitized.

This program needs to reach a wider area and this is to appeal to partners and donors to save the girl child, especially those in hard to reach schools to inspire their future. This will indeed make the world a better place to leave.

By Masika Scovia

KALI