Nearly a decade ago, President Yoweri Museveni pledged during his 2015 campaign to provide free sanitary pads to school-going girls across the country. The promise, however, is yet to be fully realized.
At St. Peter’s Church of Uganda Primary School in Goma Division, Mukono Municipality, school administrators are working hard to ensure that girls remain in class despite the challenges many face during their menstrual periods.
The school’s headteacher, Florence Nabasumba, introduced a programme to help girls make reusable sanitary towels after noticing that many of them were frequently missing lessons for the days they spend in their menstrual periods.
Some stayed home for several days each month, while others struggled quietly through classes without proper sanitary materials.
Nabasumba soon discovered the reason.
Most of the pupils come from families working in factories within the surrounding Namanve Industrial and Business Park, located about 15 kilometres from Uganda’s Capital City, Kampala. Despite the proximity to the industrial hub, many parents earn too little to afford sanitary pads that cost about sh3,500.
“After studying the situation, I realized my girls were going through very hard times during their menstruation periods,” Nabasumba explained. “Some would miss school entirely for those days, and that affected their learning.”
Determined to keep the girls in class, she introduced a programme that teaches pupils how to make reusable sanitary pads. The school management committee approved the initiative, allowing the school to purchase materials used in producing the hand-made pads.
Today, both girls and boys participate in the programme.
Nabasumba says involving boys was intentional because it helps normalize menstruation and reduces the stigma girls often face in class.
“We want the boys to understand that this is a normal part of life,” she said. “When they see the process and learn about it, they are less likely to mock or stigmatize the girls.”
The initiative has made a difference, but the need continues to grow.
St. Peter’s Primary School, a day school with nearly 1,000 pupils, has more than 200 girls who struggle to access sanitary products. The rising number of beneficiaries is stretching the school’s limited resources, a reason the headteacher has started calling for well-wishers to bail her out.
The school has also strengthened its support system. The senior woman teacher remains on standby to assist any girl who starts her period while at school.
Teachers discourage the use of unsafe alternatives such as toilet paper or random pieces of clothes, which some girls had quietly relied on before the programme began.
“To our surprise, some girls were using toilet papers without our knowledge,” Nabasumba said. “We now keep sensitizing them on proper menstrual hygiene.”
Her efforts come as Uganda joins the world in commemorating International Women’s Day on tomorrow, Sunday March 8.
Nearly a decade ago, President Yoweri Museveni pledged during his 2015 campaign to provide free sanitary pads to school-going girls across the country. The promise, however, is yet to be fully realized.
A 2024 report by the Office of the Auditor General of Uganda revealed the scale of the problem. According to the report, 64 percent of female students surveyed had missed school due to menstruation, largely because they lacked sanitary pads, clean water, and proper disposal facilities.
The study also found that nearly half of the schools visited did not provide emergency pads or any menstrual health support.
The headteacher said that during those days, at St. Peter’s, the consequences of the shortage of sanitary pads were painfully visible. Without proper sanitary towels, some girls risked being embarrassed by blood stains on their uniforms or unpleasant odors—situations that led to teasing from classmates.
Still, there are moments of hope.
On Friday March 6, female staff from Laborex Uganda Ltd, a pharmaceutical distributor based in Namanve, visited the school to donate sanitary pads and scholastic materials.
Their team leader, Josephine Luyombya, said the donation was organized as part of their activities to mark International Women’s Day. The staff raised funds themselves, and the company added support to help address the urgent needs of the girls.
Primary Seven candidate, Favour Mercy Nakawala said many parents cannot afford sanitary pads and instead give their daughters old clothes to cut into makeshift materials.
Another pupil, Michelle Nasasira, said the donation will greatly help many girls stay in school.
“Some of our parents cannot afford sanitary pads. So, this support means a lot to us,” she said.
Health workers also emphasize that access to proper sanitary products is essential for girls’ health. Faith Katana, a midwife at Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital, advises girls to change sanitary pads every after four hours and maintain strict hygiene during menstruation.
Without using clean water, soap, and proper materials, she warns, girls risk infections, abdominal pain, and bad odors.
For Nabasumba, the mission remains simple: keep girls in school and give them the dignity they deserve.
But as more girls turn to the programme for help, the small church school continues to face a big challenge—ensuring that no girl has to miss class simply because she cannot afford a sanitary pad.