Did you know that in Nyakalengijo, many girls have to stay home whey they are on their period?
Nyakalengijo, a community of two small villages (Ruboni and Mihunga) at the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, has three primary schools – one private and two public. But for many girls, their period still means they cannot attend school. There are many reasons for it: some mothers keep their daughters at home out of fear that they cannot change their sanitary products safely at school or that they might get infections. These concerns are real: most schools do not have clean water in their toilets or a changing room with a roof and door. In Ruboni Primary School, 160 girls are affected by this issue. At Star Junior Nursery and Primary School around 100.
A safe space for girls – the project begins
At the first school (Ruboni Primary School), the construction of a safe changing room has already started. It will include a shower with clean water and a private room with a door, where girls can change their sanitary products. However, some funding is still missing to complete the building.
Once this first changing room is completed, the same concept will be implemented at the second school. Currently, there is only one old, unfinished structure standing there – without a roof, without a door, without privacy. It offers no safe water and no dignified place for girls to manage their periods.
Issac, founder of the Rwenzori Child Care Initiative, which is leading the construction of these changing rooms, says: “My vision is, that every girl in every school has a safe space during her period. So they can attend classes, whether they are menstruating or not. Other schools in Uganda should adopt this idea and create safe places as well.”