Sexual And Reproductive Health Rights
To address the issue of menstrual health, and the challenges girls and women face regarding access to hygiene and stigma, we launched the Healthy Periods Initiative to provide information, access, and opportunities regarding menstrual health and hygiene in rural communities.
The Healthy Periods Initiative
The Healthy Periods Initiative drives economic and socio-cultural change through enterprise and education. From a grassroots level, we inform, educate and provide resources to assist in the development of successful social enterprises that provide safe and affordable sanitary resources for school girls and women in rural communities
We manufacture the Lucky Girl Pads which are biodegradable sanitary towels made from virgin wood pulp and soft non woven. Lucky Girl Pads are manufactured locally in Gulu and sterilized naturally via the direct sun and UV light. It is distributed to girls in selected schools at a free cost and through a grassroots structure at a lower price compared to corporate competitors, they are more readily available and affordable to rural communities. Providing girls with affordable menstrual hygiene products empowers them to go to school all year round and gives them a better future.
The HPI leads to:
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Increased education regarding menstrual health.
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Increased health and hygiene.
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Increased dignity and self-esteem.
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Increased livelihoods thru production.
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Decreased costs associated with sanitary products.
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Increased school and work attendance.
When girls are educated, poverty drops, economies thrive and communities become more resilient. But when a girl faces obstacles in managing her menses in a healthy way, she is at risk for infection, her self-esteem and self-confidence suffer, she may remain absent from school during her period, or worse still, drop out of school altogether upon reaching puberty. We target schoolgirls ages ten and above mainly in primary and secondary school and rural women who do not have access. We provide them with a pack (8 pads in pack) of sanitary pads per month and give education sessions on women's health.
The Impact:
42,900 girls and boys reached with menstrual health education massage.
1.8 million pads Distributed.
6,77 girls passed Primary and joined secondary education.
3,24 community dialogues targeting parents and teachers conducted.
3.9 million pads produced.
12 Primary schools enrolled.
3,250 girls participating in HPI.
28 young women employed in the production and distribution.
Our Partners
