In Rural schools like those found in the Teso subregion, Pingire County to be particular, the rate of girls’ enrollment compared to boys is very low, and yet absenteeism and a number of school dropouts remain an apparent problem in the Education of a girl child.
School-going girls at the adolescent stage face a lot of challenges that not only disorganize their continued participation in school but also compromise their sexual & reproductive health.
Besides having limited knowledge about menstruation and how to hygienically manage it, these girls, grapple with the stigmatization from their peers & opposite sex, especially in moments when they experience sudden menstrual flows.
Mr. Patrick Eretu (Chief Operations Officer) and Mr. Fred Opolot (Chairman) of Opolot Fred Foundation receiving Sanitary pads Donations from Mrs. Fulgani Patel, Chairperson Indian Women Association.
In a bid to improve reproductive health amongst female secondary students, the Opolot Fred Foundation with support from the Indian Women Association of Uganda has donated sanitary pads to all Senior Four girls (S.4) in the three (3) secondary schools of Pingire County;
- St. Elizabeth girls’ secondary school, Kidetok.
- Pingire Secondary School
- Labor High school
A Total of 174 candidate girls from the above-mentioned schools received sanitary pads enough to cover 9 months of their study time. The handover took place on the 24th of March, 2023 at Labor Primary School ground where Serere District hosted a women’s day commemoration event.
The Foundation looks forward to starting a program to skill girls in sewing reusable sanitary pads to empower them to fully take charge of their menstrual days with confidence. We believe this will be one solid solution to keeping more girls in schools.
