Thousands of households in the shanty communities of Kitivo, Mankenke, and Sakabusolo (KIMASA) in Jinja’s northern division struggle for better livelihoods due to the strong economic effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. This led to the majority of the multi-age children failing to return to school due to a lack of scholastic materials, while for the Girl child the inadequacy of menstrual hygiene items and safe spaces where they can manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigmatization.
So, due to the above-mentioned challenges, Right Path a child-focused organization whose intervention nucleus is to address the normalized child rights violations among marginalized children, embarked on a donation campaign called “Restoration of Hope” with a noble cause of making a difference in the lives of vulnerable households in the Jinja northern division. Through this campaign, the school and the community benefited, i.e. over 100 adolescent school-going girls of KIMASA Primary School and 150 community out-of-school adolescent girls received menstrual hygiene kits to aid them through the adolescence stage (the kit included a bucket, reusable sanitary pads, a small towel, and a bar of soap), scholastic materials, some Water, Hygiene and Sanitation items, some sports equipment as well as conducted a session with the Early childhood teachers on how to promote play-based learning. For inclusion in all our programming, the boys too fully participated in the menstrual hygiene training on how to make and use Reusable pads.
Speaking at the event, the organization’s Programme Director, Mr. Wanabe Edwin emphasized that education is crucial for children at every stage in life and acquired knowledge is an asset that keeps the world alive and flourishing, he also added that it’s the children’s right to be educated but also their responsibility to be present at school during school hours, and that is the only way we shall collectively “eliminate harmful practices affecting children” which was this year’s 2022 theme in commemoration of the Day of the African Child. He also stressed the need to equip the girl child with skills in menstrual health so as to manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigmatization.
Miss Juliet Konso, the school head teacher of KIMASA Primary School thanked Right Path for the support in boosting learning and creation of a supportive learning environment but also encouraged pupils, especially the boys to support the Girl child wholesomely as the only way to break the discrimination chain.