Mukono: Reusable pads factory launched to keep girls in school

It will manufacture 200,000 reusable 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.

The Keep a Girl In School (KAGIS) Manufacturing Plant was officially opened on 11 August 2023 by the 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 migrating as a refugee to the United Kingdom as a child in 1972, expressed optimism about the factory.

Uganda Red Cross Society, Robert Kwesiga, and Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Founder and Chairman of the Randal Charitable Foundation, pulse uganda

“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,” he said.

“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.”

On top of funding the setting up of the manufacturing facility, he said, the Randal Foundation investment will also support the training and up-skilling of women and girls to make and sell the sanitary pads, and in transferrable business skills as diverse as business administration and marketing.

Funding has also been made available to ensure proper supervision and monitoring is in place.

The facility is part of the “Keep A Girl in School is a Menstrual Health Management initiative” spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Sports and launched in 2019,

Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of Uganda Red Cross Society thanked the Randal Charitable Foundation for their support towards the manufacturing plant

“Over the next 3 years, URCS is scaling up production of re-usable pads to reach up to 100,000 – 150,000 women and girls in Uganda,” he said.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL pulse uganda

“I call on more partners – both public and private - to support the Keep A Girl in School initiative, by supporting the vulnerable girls to stay in school by buying re-usable pads for donation from the newly set up manufacturing plant.”

Director of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Mulindwa Ismael applauded Uganda Red Cross and the Randal Charitable Foundation for the initiative.

During this project, URCS is also partnering with She for She, an indigenous organization whose goal is to ensure that every young girl can attend school by improving access to pads and by providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights education.

Uganda Red Cross Society, Robert Kwesiga speaking at the groundbreaking pulse uganda

She for She has experience in training community groups to sew pads and partnering with established local organizations to provide education and dialogue on menstruation and related menstrual hygiene management.

While the first set of materials will be imported, the URCS will advocate for in-country factories to start producing the materials locally.

Keep A Girl in School is also part of the URCS Health and Social Service Agenda under Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Interventions – which plays a crucial role around key issues such as health, education, protection and security of women and adolescent girls.