LIDEISA, Open Space Center deliver menstrual hygiene session at Nile Explorer Bus

LIDEISA which is running LIDEISA Pads Girls’ Education for Global Goals (LIGEGG) campaign recently joined Open Space Uganda to deliver a deep menstrual hygiene management (MHM) education session.

Through a US embassy-powered Nile Explorer Bus project run by Open Space Center Uganda, 40 students (21 females and 19 boys) at Bunya SS in Mayuge District, benefited from LIDEISA’s session.

LIDEISA team spent time responding to overwhelming menstruation-related students’ questions. In particular, students sought to know how they could safely and hygienically manage menstruation despite challenges including being ridiculed by their male counterparts, some of which they accused of checking their school bags without their permission.

Diana Ssentongo and Sarah Bafumba, LIDEISA facilitators, practically demonstrated to students, best approaches to handling menstruation, using knickers and variety of pads including disposables and LIDEISA reusable pads.

A sizeable number of girls decried lack of pads due to poverty among their parents, revealing that they were opting to stay-out-of school until they complete the monthly menstruation cycle of between 3-5 days.

On realizing that boys were contributing to girls’ absenteeism rates, LIDEISA team trained boys of ways they can support their peers and not complicating their studies by mocking them.

Deo Walusimbi, LIDEISA CEO said menstruation “is a normal and natural process which every girl should experience once she hits puberty stage.:

Boys were also taken through processes of fixing pads on knickers to adequately support both their sisters and girls in communities.

Walusimbi said LIDEISA team is motivated by a belief that “education can put people on a path towards good health, empowerment and employment.

LIDEISA donated  reusable sanitary pads to all 21 girls and boys competed for more 10 packs to take home for their menstruating sisters.

One of the girls, Naigaga Zabiah appreciated LIDEISA for "donating these reusable pads to me because they are going to help me stay in school from terms’ beginning to its end unlike before when I had to sit at home and wait for periods’ end."

Another Bwanga Fatumah thanked LIDEISA for "teaching me many things about menstruation and showing me how to use sanitary pads properly and giving me these reusable pads. I am also happy that you have been able to ask boys to support us because they were giving us hard times at school."

Rehema Nakato, programs officer at Open Space Center, described strategic partnership with LIDEISA as "critical because MHM session has been very insightful for many of learners and they got a lot of information and facilitators played a key role in answering students’ questions and guiding them on managing menstruation using different sanitary pads they can use.”