Namakwa (Uganda): A major initiative to help combat period poverty in Uganda was launched recently, with the opening of a manufacturing plant for sanitary pads that will significantly improve the lives of up to 50,000 Ugandan girls and women each year. Significant grant funding from the Randal Charitable Foundation enabled this landmark social enterprise project in Namakwa, Mukono district of Uganda, working in partnership with the Uganda Red Cross Society. The plant will manufacture 200,000 re-usable sanitary pads annually – directly helping to tackle missed educational opportunities for girls, who may miss 18% of the academic year, because of poor sanitary protection during their period. It will also create employment opportunities for vulnerable girls and women who will be trained to make and market the pads and ensure the long-term sustainability of the facility.
The Keep a Girl In School (KAGIS) Manufacturing Plant was officially opened on 11 August 2023 by Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross Society, Robert Kwesiga, and Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Founder and Chairman of the Randal Charitable Foundation, together with the Director, Basic and Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. Speaking after the launch ceremony, Dr Kotecha, who was born in Uganda before emigrating as a refugee to the United Kingdom as a child in 1972, said: “For many women and girls, poor access to high quality sanitary pads, as well as to toilets and washrooms, is a huge barrier to attending school and can result in seriously limiting future career choices.
“This ground-breaking partnership with the Uganda Red Cross Society will help secure a future free from “period poverty” for tens of thousands of women and girls each year. It’s truly humbling to meet women and girls who will benefit from the wide-ranging outcomes from our manufacturing enterprise here today, from locally based jobs, to training and of course, high quality sanitary protection.”
Rachael McCormack, Chief Operating Officer for the Randal Foundation, said: “This facility is especially close to our hearts because of our unwavering vision to directly save lives, and significantly improve the quality of life for those in need in the UK and around the world. Period poverty is a global problem. We hope our project will ensure more women can complete their education and be able to make life choices which mean they can fulfil their true potential.”
Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of Uganda Red Cross Society, said: “Keep A Girl in School is a Menstrual Health Management initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Sports and launched in 2019, which highlights that girls are missing school because of lack of sanitary pads to use during their monthly cycle. We would like to thank the Randal Charitable Foundation for their significant support towards the setting up of a manufacturing plant in Uganda which is aimed at keeping more girls in school through manufacturing and provision of re-usable pads.”