Empower 200 girls on Making Reusable pads in Kibuku.
Introduction
Network for Water and Sanitation (NETWAS) Uganda is a local National NGO, registered
with the Uganda National NGO Board in 1996. NETWAS is an affiliate of NETWAS
international as well as part of the international training network (ITN) for water and waste
management. ITN supports activities of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in
developing countries. NETWAS nature and scope of work ranges from national to grassroots
interventions in both urban and rural areas. For sustainability and effectiveness of
interventions, NETWAS ensures that issues of social inclusiveness and gender are clearly
addressed. Key issues that have been identified to be affecting women and girls’
participation in development interventions is menstruation and related health,
environmental, income, physiological and socio-cultural aspects.
Problem statement
A baseline conducted in 2014 by NETWAS Uganda with support from Water Aid and funded
by H&M Conscious Foundation in Kibuku and Pallisa District, in the 31 schools selected
indicates that there is general inadequate management of menstrual hygiene, only 23
schools were provided with emergency sanitary pads and eight did not. Reports from the
Kibuku and Pallisa MHM sensitization workshop held from 27th to 31st July 2015, funds
allocated to schools for UPE is not adequate enough to provide sanitary pads to all girls in
the age bracket, this limits their capacity MHM challenge and keeping girls in school.
According to respondents, both in Kibuku and in Pallisa, t many girls miss classes during their
menstruation period. “Some girls reported that they do not turn up for school when they
have their periods because: they feel pains in the stomach; they fear embarrassment and
harassment from boys; they lack sanitary pads but also schools do not have functional
washrooms.
According to the survey, only 4 r schools had soap and a basin in the girl’s private rooms; 3
had a jerry can and water in the washrooms. None of the school had a bucket for disposing
used sanitary pads in the washroom. It is also reported that girls in schools without
washrooms go back home to bathe and return later and some do not even come back which
disrupts their classroom work and affects their performance; others go to the staff quarters
or use the latrines, however 23 schools were provided with emergency sanitary pads and
eight did not.
It is understood that menstruation is a biological aspect every healthy woman between the
age of 9 and 40 years goes through, where blood is released and thus requires sanitary as
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well as health intervention in terms of pads and knickers to prevent spillage as well as pain
killers to manage the pain and counseling to manage the hormonal effects.
Meanwhile resources for menstrual hygiene management are limited in availability due to
affordability. It’s under such a background that NETWAS Uganda avails the following
approach in implementing the Menstrual Hygiene Management activities in the two
districts.
A study conducted in Uganda by Prestwich (2013) indicates Knowledge on menstruation was poor
amongst the school girls with 36.3% of girls believing that menstruation was a disease. Most girls
used cloth (87.1%) during menstruation with less than half of girls (47.1%) using purchased sanitary
pads. Around two thirds of girls (61.7%) reported normally missing some days of school in a month
because of menstruation with the mean number of days missed at 1.64 (n = 133, SD = 1.835). The
highest reported reason (63.8%) girls missed school during menstruation was the lack of a private
place to wash and change at school. Girls in focus groups from the more rural schools prioritized reusable pads as the most important solution whereas girls in schools closer to a village prioritized
disposable pads.1 This correlates to the 2012 SNV study which indicates 60% of the girls missing
schools due to menstruation.
A high number of school girls who have reached puberty do not wear appropriate sanitary
towels during menstruation due to very limited access to standard sanitary pads which
are expensive for most rural families and also not a priority to spend on .In addition the
lack of adequate wash rooms and water to bathe conspires to increase the suffering of
pubescent girls from health to physiological problems associated with the dignity
experienced due to the lack of suitable places to change and dispose of their pads and
soiling their uniforms.
A Snap shot of NETWAS Uganda’s Experience in Menstrual Hygiene
Management
As an actor in the WASH sector with over 3 years in implementing menstrual hygiene management
(MHM) interventions in schools; NETWAS Uganda has in the districts of Luwero, Kamuli, Tororo, Lira
and Alebtong under the EC WASH project successfully made menstrual hygiene management one of
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the core aspect of school health club action areas and also supported the training in the making of
reusable pads in 84 primary schools (26 in Luwero, 22 in Kamuli, 17 in Lira/Alebtong and 19 in Tororo).
To further strengthen the MHM component NETWAS Uganda has produced a guide for MHM which
has been distributed to over 100 schools of Uganda, the schools are using the booklet to support
menstrual awareness among primary school children.
Additionally NETWAS Uganda is one of the actors that have engaged in MHM related advocacy both
at national and regional fora. This is evident in the 2012 National Learning Forum on School WASH
organized by NETWAS Uganda with a MHM component. Also the 2013 National Learning Forum on
Sanitation as a Business where the component of marketing menstrual hygiene was projected and
most recently in organizing the first ever International Menstrual Hygiene day in 2014.
It is in line with this capacity and experience that NETWAS Uganda with partners is seeking support
to implement a Menstrual Hygiene Management Project
Target location
Country
Region
Districts
Uganda
Eastern
Kibuku District in 10 schools
Time frame
The Proposed activities will be implemented by NETWAS in duration of 1 year starting January 2016 to
December 2017.
GENERAL OBJECTIVE:
Over all Objectives: To strengthen the capacity of pupils (girls) in school, senior women
teachers and health assistants through establishment of mechanisms of sustaining
menstrual hygiene in schools.
Specific objectives:
o To enhance the capacity of school management committees, teachers and pupils in
making reusable sanitary pads.
o To strengthen the capacity of districts and sub county stakeholders in effecting
effective management of menstrual hygiene interventions.
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o To develop strategies for sustainable menstrual hygiene management, knowledge
sharing, learning, coordination and resource mobilization amongst stakeholders at
district and Sub County levels to promote the use of reusable sanitary pads.
o To improve hygienic access, collection, disposal and reuse through consorting the
efforts of MHM platform stakeholders
Expected outcome
o Improved knowledge and skills in making handmade reusable sanitary pads.
o Improved strategy for continued peer monitoring and resource mobilization at the
district level school level for sustainable provision of reusable sanitary pads.
o Action plans on implementation of sustainable menstrual hygiene management at
the district and school level developed.
Target group:
Adolescent girls, women, boys and girls in and out of school , PTA, SMC’s, teachers , school
health clubs , , District staff and Sub county extension staff, and community health groups .
Our approach
NETWAS Uganda will work with closely with Kibuku district local government especially the
education department who whose role will be to provide technical support and supervision.
, a local NGO community health groups , schools , to address the challenges of affordability
, accessibility, personal hygiene , access to WASH facilities , disposal , knowledge and
attitudes of menstruation faced by adolescent girls . Pads, capacity of project implementers
will be built, assessment of schools that lack access to WASH facilities, and knowledge
management and learning.
The whole process will involve interactive dialogue meetings with key education
stakeholders to ensure that their views and opinions are captured and there is agreed
consensus on key issues to be addressed.
i.
As part of the effort to strengthen menstrual hygiene management NETWAS Uganda
will build the capacity of stakeholders (senior women and men teachers, pupils,
CDOs, health Assistants) in the making of reusable pads to enforce hygiene practices
as well as build capacity in MHM counseling for girls.
ii. Additionally focus on embedding MHM in the existing school health clubs. Other
school activities will be undertaken with demand creating competitions around MHM
and capacity development around awareness creation and advocacy.
Target Participants in the districts.
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o 200 members of School Health Clubs from the 10 school.
o 10 Senior Women teachers.
o 2Sub county Health Assistants.
Detailed Activities
o Weekly class meetings for girls MHM
o Practical training in locally made sanitary pads targeting teachers & girls
o Review meeting with SHCs.
o Support supervision by the districts ( health & education)
o Follow up on Teachers/SMCs Action plan Implementation
o Review of School Health Club Action Plans.
3.0 Action Plan for Menstrual Hygiene Activities on the Work plan.
Objective 1: 0. To strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to institutionalize MHM in their programming
processes.
Sn
Activity
Expected
output
Indicators
1.
Conduct
MHM
sensitization dialogue
meetings with school
authorities and health
workers
MHM
incorporated in
school activities
and budget
No of schools Plenary
with
MHM PowerPoint
incorporated in
their activities
and
budgets
%
budget
allocation
to
MHM.
2.
Conduct
training
workshops for school
health
clubs
on
making
reusable
pads.1 in each School
going Term period
Follow up on adoption
rate
of
making
reusable
sanitary
10
representatives
of school health
clubs trained on
making reusable
pads
Monitor
progress of and
use of reusable
No. of people Hands
trained
on training
making
reusable pads
3.
Methodology
Time
frame
and Qtr1
on Qtr1
Number
of Observation
adaptors
and interviews
(Schools and to schools and
5
Responsible
Person
Grace
and
peter azuba.
Trainer
Grace
Orishaba and
Peter Azuba.
Grace
Orishaba and
Peter Azuba.
pads.
4.
5.
sanitary pads
pupils)
identified and
practicing
making
reusable pads
Follow
up
on Documentation Number
of
documentation about on how children follow
up
the utilization of the are making their visits made
training (reusable)
pads
Report Writing
Total Budget The overall budget will cost 12435 USD.
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parents
Follow-up visits Qtr. 3 Grace
and
and 4
Orishaba and
documentation
Peter Azuba
Progress
All
Reports(Financi Quarte
al
and rs
Technical)
Grace
and
Peter Azuba,
Daniel
Baingana