Menstrual Health Progress Report 20/09/24 to 03/11/24
ACTIVITIES
Student health; To discuss strategies for promoting student menstrual health. This is part of the collaborative initiative between health and wellness committee. The meeting included the student sanitary girls’ prefects, the senior women of the school, the deputy and the student leadership of different calibers, this meeting was held at St Maria Gorreti school in slums of Katanga In Mulago Kampala district with Specialists like Mrs. Nabagesersa Asha as the senior gynecologist and Mrs. Nalogga Patiricia as the counseling’s and psychological specialist. We had to participate in the election of GID Africa’s SENIOR SISTER in that school to represent as a big sister to fellows and young girls in issues concerning girls challenges during school time especially menstrual health. Her role is to act as a communication channel to senior women teacher of that school in case of any phobia and absence of openness to any girl in such any challenges and can be confident with her. Girls were chosen depending on characteristics of boldness, openness, participation and understanding of menstrual health education. Girl’s security awareness; Here we prepared them with information about how they can protect themselves against sexual offences, child molesting and mitigation strategies. We prioritized giving them information about personal and social protection measures to assist girls in general both living in impoverished and quality lives against endangering their lives. How to know healthy period’s advocacy and signs of un health periods; All these were handled by Dr Nabagesera Asha as a specialist in, gynecology anatomy and physiology of the virgin.
Water sanitation and hygiene. [ WASH]
Pads making skills and education.
Preparedness for menstrual stages and intervention.
Girls with disabilities special needs.Blind and deaf, crippled, health environment and safety against environment,
Promotion of sexual and reproductive health for safe motherhood, breaking and strengthening communities, reducing neonatal death through equipping young mothers with necessary maternity information during and after delivery and child health care were also the activities done.
Talked about improving menstrual girl’s health and treatment so as to Make Her Vibrant.
LESSONS LEARNT
Soap and water accessibility, lack of privacy, poor menstrual hygiene causes serious health risk, like getting UTI’s which of this can result into infertility and birth complications in future, neglecting to wash hands can spread disease like hepatitis b.
A lot of effort is still needed in in the dissemination of menstrual healthy education information, a lot of girls are still green about it and lack necessary right information about it. We require sustainable development goals about this issue.
We taught girls on eating healthy diet full of fresh, whole foods taking beetroot juice and carrot juice and limited amounts of processed and refined to prevent unhealthy menstrual periods.
Making school clubs to start making re-usable sanitary pads.
Getting plenty of exercise both cardio and strengthening training.
CHALLENGES.
The menstrual products are always insufficient some girls tend to miss up on acquiring themselves some of menstrual hygiene materials. We faced the challenge of water stress, poor water quality, waste water and poor water management structures.
Another challenge was insuffient Trans boundary cooperation.
Menstrual hygiene awareness program, this was community wide and audience specific program, initiative and strategized that increase audience knowledge and share information and resources to prevent violence, promote safety and reduce perpetration. This is a collaboration. We had tovisit village media public administration systems to let our voice heard and reach far a distance named; Kitunzi community public system radio.
Menstrual health and hygiene needs are being overlooked due to limited access to information, education, products and services, as well as inadequate facilities and inequalities in the communities GID Africa has participated into. As GID Africa we can as of now touch of which our hands can access but it’s still a drop in an ocean, girls still require world collaboration to save our sisters and make this world a better place for all as our goal is to;
MAKE HER VIBRANT.