UGANDA

Years of war, chronic civil instability, and famine in neighboring South Sudan have forced almost one million South Sudanese to seek refuge in Uganda since 2016. In addition, inter-communal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has also led tens of thousands of civilians to seek safety here as well. Uganda is known for its compassionate refugee policy, however, the influx of refugees has placed a considerable strain on available resources, particularly for access to safe drinking water and safe space, with many existing refugee camps significantly overcapacity.

Our Health and Hygiene program in Rhino Camp, Uganda is focused on sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions. After working with the community to identify their most pressing health and hygiene needs, both men and women identified women and girls' lack of safe and consistent access to menstrual hygiene solutions as a significant impediment to their continued access to education and engagement in community life. Many women and girls similarly noted that while they knew where to access menstrual hygiene products, the price to purchase them was significantly out of reach, with many selling up to half of their monthly ration cards to purchase a package of sanitary pads.

To close this gap, we have prioritized the distribution and community sensitization of reusable menstrual hygiene kits. These kits include 10 products, made from the offcuts from mass textile companies, and will cover a woman or girl's menstruation needs for up to three to five years, allowing them the opportunity to access consistent education and participate in family and community life.

The Unmentionables is committed to being the provider of sexual and reproductive health information within Rhino Camp in Northern Uganda and are undertaking specific initiatives to support that mission. To date, The Unmentionables has led the education programming related to menstrual hygiene management and reusable sanitary solutions, alongside our Health and Hygiene program. Within this existing model, Community Educators teach the basics of female reproductive physiology and the menstrual cycle alongside sensitization of women and girls (and some men and boys!) to The Unmentionables' reusable sanitary product kits, called Dignity Kits.

In 2018, The Unmentionables committed to expanding our programming in Uganda to include a pilot of our comprehensive sexual health education programming. Moving forward, our team will be training our existing Community Educators in the full sexual and reproductive health curriculum, managing consistent sexual health education programming for beneficiaries, and providing innovative solutions to ensure everyone has the ability to access evidence-based sexual health information.

Our Livelihood programs in Uganda are realized in collaboration with the community of displaced people living in Rhino Camp, as they contribute to the delivery of our Menstrual Hygiene Management program within the camp environment. The men and women are required to complete a three hour training prior to serving with The Unmentionables and its partners as Community Focal Points and Hygiene Promoters during menstrual health education and distribution activities. They then work in pairs to deliver comprehensive education and sensitization sessions on menstruation and menstrual hygiene, including reusable menstrual hygiene products.

As a learning organization, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our programming. Through our work in Uganda, we are prioritizing the appropriate cultural adaptation of our sexual and reproductive health education curriculum through six-part focus group discussion sessions with respondents representative of the communities we serve. We also utilize semi-structured interviews and surveys in order to further involve community feedback in our work.

Partners: Community Development Centre Uganda