GEDA Uganda joins Kasese District and other partners in commemorating the international menstrual hygiene day

Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD, MH Day in short) is an annual awareness day on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at a global level.

In developing countries, women’s choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by the costs, availability and social norms.

Adequate sanitation facilities and access to feminine hygiene products are important but opening discussion making adequate education for women and girls is of equal importance. Research has found that not having access to menstrual hygiene management products can keep girls home from school during their period each month.

Therefore Menstrual Hygiene Day is an occasion for publicizing information in the media, including social media, organized gatherings and to engage decision-makers in policy dialogue. The day aims to advocate for the integration of menstrual hygiene management into global, national and local policies and programs.

More specifically MH day;

  • breaks the silence, raises awareness and changes negative social norms around MHH, and
  • engages decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyse action for MHH, at global, national and local levels.

MH Day has grown tremendously since it was first celebrated in 2014

In emulating the same objective Kasese District and her development partners commemorated the day on 21st July 2023 at Ngaiga Primary School, in Maliba Town council-Kasese District under the global theme “Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030”.

A highly attended event that commenced with a band around the Town council had several primary and secondary schools’ students and teachers including parents and several stakeholders.

Kick off of the event with an awareness band.

Performance after performance, presentation after the other clearly communicated the awareness about menstrual hygiene and the reason why it is necessary to create awareness if girls must stay in school.

Speaking at the function the team leader at Save the Children Kasese field office highlighted that Girls lose 10% of their time during menstruation time as revealed by a research conducted by SNV, he challenged partners to do more research and prioritize MH in their programming.

The chief guest of the function the Kasese District Woman MP, Hon.Kabugho Florence appreciated the District and Partners for having organized the function and asked that this should be a continuous engagement since it’s a normal thing that Government and partners should continue addressing.

She emphasized the hands on skills trainings for the make of reusable sanitary pads at schools so as to help them, Providing Wash rooms at schools specifically for this purpose since this was one of the biggest issues reported from schools reports. Hon. Florence also promised that as Women Parliamentarians, they are trying to find ways of providing sanitary pads freely to girls. She wondered why condoms were provided freely even when sex is a choice unlike menstruation.

Hon. Woman MP and Chief guest addressing citizens.

She also warned some men who are raping their very own children to stop that very dangerous that was being reported in some areas. The Hon. Chief guest encouraged students to continue studying irrespective of their schools and also Requested the District Education office to consider having more female teachers in schools that have less on non  to help girls during their period days.

The Hon. MP led the District and partners in signing a charter that read as follows;

 

Honourable Member of Parliament Kabugho Florence signing the charter. Several other partners and the District leadership signed this charter and committed to follow the contents therein to the dot.

Gender-Environment and Development Action committed too to the charter as this is also very key in our programming as an institution.

Partners also contributed items including sanitary pads and nickers that were distributed to the schools in attendance. The items were handed over to the District Education department by the Hon. Chief guest.

 

Commemorating Menstrual Hygiene Day

Today, millions of women and girls around the world are stigmatised, excluded and discriminated against simply because they menstruate.

It’s not acceptable that because of a natural bodily function women and girls continue to be prevented from getting an education, earning an income and fully and equally participating in everyday life.

Poor menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of education, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the world. As a result, millions of women and girls are prevented from reaching their full potential.

Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global advocacy platform that brings together non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). More specifically, MH Day:

  • Breaks the silence, raises awareness and changes negative social norms around MHH, and
  • engages decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyse action for MHH, at global, national and local levels.

Like other partners, Gender-Environment and Development Action would like to wish everyone a happy #MHDay. We are committed to ending the stigma around this by;

 

  • Breaking the taboos and end the stigma surrounding menstruation.
  • Raising awareness about the challenges regarding access to menstrual products, education about menstruation and period-friendly sanitation facilities.

 

Commemoration of the 16 days of Activism 2022-GEDA Uganda

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign observed every year to raise visibility around the call for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence. The prevalence of violence against women and girls in all its forms in most countries is endemic. Two out of three women  experience some form of violence in their lifetime. It is also true that Over 62% of young women have had their first sexual encounter by the age of 18 either forcefully or other unhealthy ways. These challenges have also led to high population growth driven by high rates of unwanted births, currently at 52% with teenage pregnancies accounting for 25% of over one million pregnancies recorded annually (UNFPA Report 2021).

In committing to the cause of ending violence against women and girls in Uganda, GEDA Uganda supports its members in developing and implementing measures across the region to promote the elimination of violence against women and girls.

GEDA Uganda is also committed to ending gender-based violence by creating a workplace that is respectful of the rights of all, with zero-tolerance of violence against women, girls and children.

We’re commemorating this years #16daysofactivitism by creating awareness on ending Gender-Based Violence and Violence against Children, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) amongst the Youth, the teenage mothers and other categories of the community. We have also continued to offer practical skills to these teenage mothers and other youth as we pass messages as mentioned above.

It is our responsibility to ender violence against women and girls, boys and men for dignified and resilient lives for all.

GEDA Uganda joins the world to commemorate the International Youth Day (IYD)

21 billion. That’s how many young people between 15 – 24 inhabit the earth – 15.5 per cent of the global population, according to estimates in the 2020 United Nations World Youth Report.

To better the world they stand to inherit, this socially conscious group has unleashed their collective will and might, raising their voices to demand that CSOs and governments address such issues from gender, racial and socioeconomic inequality to climate change. Without waiting for an invitation or permission, youth activists rally their peers, start and fuel movements, shift loyalties to entities that align with their values, call out political leaders and defy the status quo to help shape a world they want to live in – one in which all can thrive.

Since being endorsed by the General Assembly in 1999, 12 August has marked the International Youth Day to acknowledge and amplify the importance of youth participation in current affairs.

This year’s theme is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages” to combat ageism and build bridges between generations. From the wisdom of youth to the energy and idealism of the elderly, we must welcome and leverage the gifts people of all ages bring and ensure no one is left behind. The world’s problems are too vast for entire generations to be absent from helping address them.

As Gender-Environment and Development Action, we work closely with the youth and more especially the teenage mothers.

A cross section of teenage mothers celebrating after completion of their training.

During the Covid-19 pandemic when schools were closed during the lockdown, the burden of pregnancies ravaged the whole world and Kasese where we operate was not spared. As an institution we brought hope back to a number of them through skilling, counselling and referrals among others. The issues of menstrual hygiene have not been left behind by GEDA-Uganda. It is your responsibility, it’s my responsibility to encourage the youth to demand for their rights.

Happy IYD.

GEDA Uganda joins other partners to offer humanitarian work at Bwera holding center-Kasese

Asylum seekers from the Eastern DRC-North-kivu crossed into Uganda through kitholhu, Karambi and Mpondwe sub-counties in Kasese District on Sunday 3rd-Apr-2022. About 3,220 individuals/asylum seekers crossed to Uganda through various porous borders and temporarily resettled in Villages of Kisolholho, Busigha, Kasinga, Kisebere, Kiraro etc. in Kasese district. Major reason of flight was attributed to brutal attacks allegedly by ADF rebels on civilians in DRC.

Shortly after that OPM and UNHCR quickly swang in action and established a holding center at Bwera Primary Teachers college-PTC to offer emergency response services to these POCs. Several partners including GEDA Uganda also followed suit to offer services at the holding center. The other partners included but not limited to UNHCR, UNWFP, OPM, CAFOMI, MTI, ALIGHT, URCS, ICRC, AIRD, Kasese Scouts, DLG, UPF and NRC. Greater efforts have been made and coordination directed towards ensuring safety and wellbeing of everybody at the center.

 

GEDA Uganda staff sorting reusable sanitary pads for Distribution

GEDA Uganda’s core assignment,

Menstrual hygiene management, GEDA Uganda has been charged with supply of reusable sanitary pads, sensitisation of the POCs on how best they can use the pads, several FGDs have also been conducted to get feedback on how the reusable sanitary pads are working.

Pyschosocial support and GBV awareness, GEDA Uganda in partnership with ALIGHT and CAFOMI have been charged with these services that have been offered deligently.

GEDA Uganda has continued to support the Persons Of Concern (POCs) with these necessary services to make their life comfortable at the holding center.

 

Buffalo teenage mothers receive a grant to kick start their business ambitions

Through our continued commitment to supporting the teenage mothers and other vulnerable youth in Kasese District, GEDA Uganda has partnered with Children Conservationists program –CCP an organization aimed at facilitating sustainable conservation through empowerment, leadership development and educational support for the children and Youth to continue reaching out to the vulnerable Youth within the region.

Virtual meeting with CCP to harmonize on M.O.U prior to the grant

This comes shortly after GEDA Uganda had trained these teenage mothers in different life skills of craft shoe making, tailoring and knitting to give them a second chance of life. GEDA Uganda had earlier on given these teenage mothers start up kits for them to kick start small businesses in the different fields in which they had gained skills. This however wasn’t enough and it was the reason GEDA continued searching for more opportunities to support the teenage mothers.

After an MOU with CCP, buffalo teenage mothers group will be receiving USD 556 from CCP through GEDA Uganda to buy start up materials for their business in tailoring and craft shoe making. This will be a big boost to the earlier on given start up kits and tailoring machines donated to them by GEDA Uganda.

A Cross section of the buffalo teenage mothers in a meeting preparing for the grant.

GEDA Uganda is also supporting other teenage mothers groups in Kasese Municipality to realize their potential amidst having given birth at a tender age. These groups will be trained in Youth savings and loan schemes –YSLAs for them to start small savings from the proceeds of their business for sustainable livelihoods.

Gender-Environment and Development Action: Statement on the 16 days of activism

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December. This day was initiated in 1991 by the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute, held by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgers University.

There has been a lot of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the whole world and there has been lots of statistics about this and so the 16 days of activism were adopted to create awareness about these challenges of VAWG, engage leaders and different stakeholders in the fight against VAWG among others.

According to the latest estimates, nearly 1 in 3 women aged 15 years and older, around the world have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner or both, at least once in their lifetime, indicating that levels of VAWG have remained largely unchanged over the last decade (UN Women). These numbers do not reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and would be even higher if they included the full continuum of violence that affect women and girls including sexual harassment, violence in digital contexts, harmful practices and sexual exploitation. COVID-19 has exacerbated all the risk factors for VAWG, including unemployment and poverty, and reinforced many of the root causes such as gender stereotypes and harmful social norms. It has been estimated that 11 million girls may not return to school because of COVID-19, thereby increasing their risk of child marriage.

According to a survey by UBOS and UN Women (2020) in Uganda https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/uganda_rga_full_report.pdf , it found out that gender-based violence victims are largely being violated by people they live with/other household members, This includes spouses (33%), father (9%), mother (4%), other relatives (4%), sibling (2%), and daughter/son (1%). Therefore, awareness about the law, guidance and engagement with different actors is very key especially during these 16 days of Activism.

Gender-Environment and Development Action Uganda stands with the rest of the Partners, CSOs to commemorate and participate in making awareness through media about VAWG. GEDA Uganda currently works with teenage mothers in Kasese District to skill them in Knitting, tailoring and craft shoe making as a way of giving them hope.

Teenage mothers practical training session in craft shoe making

GEDA Uganda envisions “A world where gender equity and environmental sustainability prevail, in which women and girls have the power to harness their full potential”. We are committed to contributing towards SDG 5 and we would like to encourage each and every one to do their role to end Violence against Women and girls. Together we can orange the world and end VAWG.

Teenage mothers tailoring classes

SUCCESS STORY: MITSE NIGHT

By Bonita Masika-GEDA Uganda.

Mitse Night is among the teenage mothers that underwent the crotchet shoe making training exercise that was implemented by GEDA Uganda under its skilling project. Before she underwent this training, she had neither acquired any skill nor had any job or source of income. When GEDA Uganda intervened by extending the Crochet shoe making training to the teenage mothers under the MSF program, Mitse Night had the opportunity to take up this training. When she was still a trainee, she showed a lot of interest and took her training seriously.

Mitse Night (3rd right, wrapped with stripped cloth) receiving her start up kit.

After the training was completed and even before being given the startup kit package, Night took the initiative of utilizing the skill and the small resources she had acquired during the training to make close to two pairs of shoes which she was able to sell at 10,000 Uganda shillings (About $3) each thus being able to make a profit of 20,000 since the training materials had been offered by GEDA Uganda at no cost. “I was lucky for having been part of this training and am grateful that i already made some money however little it is. Am very hopeful that this is going to change my life, thanks very much to GEDA Uganda” With these humble savings and the additional startup kit that was provided to her, Mitse believes that she will be able to meet the basic needs for herself and her family and also boost her small shoe making start up business.

Night has a number of challenges but they don’t keep her from moving forward. Her main challenge is lack of enough capital to rent a room and also buy more materials, she has also faced a challenge of low customer turn up and low unfavorable prices from the customers. But all the same she still believes there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Mitse Night appreciating GEDA team.

Teenage mothers receive their start up kits.

Teen mothers pose for a photo after receiving their kits.

After their skilling program, teenage mothers have finally received their start up kits to start on a new life with the skills attained. Gender-Environment and Development Action has been equipping these teenage mothers with different skills.

The first batch of teenage mothers that were trained in crotchet shoe making received their kits at their different training stations. The MSF group received their kits at the MSF training center while Nyamwamba Division teenage mothers received their kits at the Division Headquarters.

Teenage mother receiving her kit from GEDA Uganda Officer

Speaking at the function the Division Community Development Officer appreciated the efforts of Gender-Environment and Development Action in equipping the teenage mothers and giving them hope. He promised maximum support to the teenage mothers and GEDA Uganda for the services they are rendering. The MSF representative encouraged the teenage mothers to use the start up kits well and continue behaving well not to have a repeat of what has already happened to them but think of their future to be a bright one. He thanked GEDA Uganda for the partnership in skilling this team they have been offering reproductive health services. He said this was good combination of services to the teenage mothers.

Display of some kits

Speaking at the same function the GEDA Uganda representative Baluku Omar also advised the teenage mothers to use the start up kits to enrich the standard of living and promised continued follow ups and mentorships. He said the start up kits may not be enough but worth starting a new life.

Meanwhile the tailoring group of teenage mothers is still going on with their training that lasts utmost 3 months, they will also be awarded start up kits as and when they complete their training and so it is to the knitting group.

First batch of teenage mothers complete skilling

In Uganda like elsewhere around the world, Covid-19 has led to an increase in teenage pregnancy. In order to gain basic necessities like sanitary towels, girls have engaged in negative coping mechanisms like transactional sex with men who took advantage of their need for money. Teenage pregnancies, among other factors is increasing the number of girls not in school.

GEDA Uganda mid this year embarked on finding and profiling teenage mothers in Kasese District. Like else where in the country, Kasese is one of the Districts with high teenage pregnancies hence teenage mothers that have thereafter been abandoned by the fathers to their children.

Asked what they would do to bring back hope, the teenage mothers GEDA Uganda had access to asked for skilling that would be a one off skill for them to earn a living. Tailoring, knitting and craft shoe making were identified as skills to be given to the teenage mothers.

For the last two weeks 47 teenage mothers that choose craft shoe making have been undergoing vigorous training by GEDA Uganda trainers. The happy and hopeful teenage mothers completed their skilling last week August 23rd 2021 with a ray of hope. Each trainee was able to complete atleast one pair of shoe. The skilling sessions were accompanied by inspirational talks by GEDA staff.

The teenage mothers have also been promised to be given start up kits for them to start a new life and GEDA Uganda will deliver them as soon as they’re ready.

Meanwhile another group of teenage mothers training in tailoring that started earlier is still under going training since that takes some time. The progress is promising and they will soon complete. GEDA Uganda donated a sewing machine to this group that will help them continue with trainings and earning a living even when the trainings are long ended.

It is our responsibility me and you to end child marriage, teenage pregnancies and GBV by performing our roles.

A cross section of teenage mothers celebrating after completion of their training.
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