Girls at Kigungu landing site in Entebbe have received training on menstrual hygiene from Family Medical Point(FMP) , a non for profit organisation.
During celebrations to mark the menstrual gygiene day, FMP held an outreach at Entebbe Girls School to advance girls' education through access to accurate sexual reproductive health and rights information and services.
Speaking during the outreach, Polyne Nabwire , the Programmes and Communication Coordinator at Family Medical Point said they specifically targeted girls in the fishing community since many of them dont have the right information SRHR.
"FMP's studies in the fishing communities of Kingungu, Nakiwogo, Kasenyi and Guuda showed that 45% of girls in fishing communities who drop out of school are as a result of inability to access menstrual hygiene management commodities and many more miss out about 10 - 18 days of studies each term during menstruation days," Nabwire said.
"The outreach therefore aimed at giving girls thorough knowledge about menstrual hygiene as well as other associated sexual and reproductive health information but also demonstrate to students the dangers of engaging in unplanned, unprotected and early sexual behavior and as well encourage them to seek support when they face challenges related to sexual reproductive health."
Nabwire said menstrual health hygiene is both a human rights and a health issue, where women and girls are entitled to live a life of dignity, quoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030) that require all nations to work towards ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages (SDG 3).
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"In Uganda, insufficient menstrual hygiene health in schools contributes to 30% of girls dropping out of school and many more missing 8 school days each term during menstruation days. "
Quoting a study by SNV in 140 schools located in seven districts of Uganda, Nabwire said 70% of the adolescent girls acknowledged that menstruation affected their optimal education performance, while 77% of girls 'indicated missing averagely 2-3 school days per month.
Lack of sanitary pads as the main reason for girls being absent from school.
Why fishing communities
Nabwire said Family Medical Point in 2023 piloted the menstrual cup project in four in fishing communities in and around n Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District and data showed that 82% of the girls who adopted the use of the cup reduced absenteeism from school, felt more confident and had improved performance in the term.
She said the outcomes of the pilot informed FMP to use the global giving platform to fundraise to advance access to menstrual cups by school girls.
"Fishing communities remain the most marginalized in Uganda and report higher rates of sexual gender based violence and limited access to SRH services, exacerbating health risks and social stigmas."
She said the menstrual cups come in handy as they can support girls' education for five years.
