Help Keep Girls in School — Menstrual Health Campaign

Every Month, Girls Are Choosing Between School and Their Period

In the rural villages of Kabarole, Kasese, Bundibugyo, and Kamwenge districts, a quiet crisis unfolds every single month. Girls as young as 10 arrive at school in fear — not of exams, but of the moment their period begins and they have nothing to manage it with. Without sanitary pads, they stay home. Without school, their futures narrow. Without your support, the cycle continues.

We are actively working to end menstrual poverty across Western Uganda — and we need your help right now.

The Reality Facing Girls in Our Communities

A basic packet of disposable pads costs between UGX 3,000 and 5,000 — far beyond the reach of families surviving on less than $2 a day. Girls improvise with rags, banana leaves, or nothing at all. The consequences are devastating:

• Girls miss an average of 4 school days every month — nearly 50 days per year
• Many drop out entirely before completing primary school
• Girls report humiliation, shame, and constant fear of leaking in class
• Teachers confirm menstrual absenteeism is among the top three causes of girls leaving school in their communities
• Communities across rural Uganda have virtually no access to menstrual health education

"Before HAFT came to our school, I would stay home for five days every month. I failed exams. My teacher thought I was lazy. I was thinking of leaving school for good."
— Doreen, P.6 pupil, Kabarole District

What Our Team Is Doing Right Now

HAFT Uganda is currently running a two-part program across seven districts in Western Uganda:

Reusable Pad Manufacturing and Free Distribution

We train community women to produce high-quality, washable, reusable sanitary pads using locally sourced cotton fabric. Each pad kit lasts up to two years — completely eliminating the monthly cost barrier. We distribute these kits free of charge to primary school girls, targeting the most vulnerable households first.

Menstrual Health Education in Schools and Communities

Our volunteer health educators are visiting schools, delivering age-appropriate menstrual hygiene training to girls, their female teachers, and — critically — male classmates and fathers. Changing attitudes across genders is the only lasting path to ending stigma.

How Your Donation Makes a Direct Difference

• $10 — provides one girl with a complete reusable pad kit, enough for a full year
• $50 — equips a community health educator to run a full school session for 60 girls
• $150 — sets up a pad production station serving an entire village
• $500 — funds our field team for one month of outreach across a full district

Our Progress — and Why More Is Urgently Needed

Since launching this campaign, HAFT has reached over 2,000 girls across Kabarole, Kasese, Kamwenge, and neighboring districts. School attendance among girls we serve has improved measurably. Teachers report fewer absences. Girls report feeling safer, more confident, and more supported at school.

But thousands more are still waiting. Our current funding covers less than a third of the girls identified as needing support. The communities we have not yet reached are often the most remote — and the most vulnerable.

Every month we delay is another four days a girl misses school. Donate today and help keep her in class.