Menstrual activism in Uganda (guest post)

Last week, I wrote about tracing the story of Nikibasika, while I was running, a project I’ve been working on in Uganda for 14 years. We are at the magical point where most of the “kids” in the project are young adults, and are doing amazing things in their own right. Today, I’m sharing the story of the project Britah Atusimiire has initiated during the Covid lockdown. Britah is 23, and graduated with a degree in social work and psychology in December. — cate

Hey people! My name is Britah Atusimiire, and I am from Uganda. I graduated early this year with a bachelors degree in Social Sciences. I grew up from Nikibasika, a children’s home in Kasese, because my mother was not able to look after me and my sister after the death of our father.

I was privileged to be supported by selfless people😊 — which is what inspired me to start an NGO of my own called Kusiima Girls Foundation. The purpose is to help young vulnerable girls access reusable sanitary towels.

This is because many young girls in remote areas of Uganda miss school, are shunned by their peers, and have lost self esteem because they cannot access sanitary towels.

Here is a blog post I wrote to explain why this is so important:

The government should give a period pad to every girl in need

I also watch how young girls in my village suffer with school absenteeism because they cannot afford pads. My goal is for them to learn to make their own.

Through training girls to make reusable sanitary towels, I believe will be a great step for them to live a more fulfilling life and achieve their dreams. My future goal is to start up a home where these young girls can train and make reusable sanitary towels and provide them to people at an affordable cost.

This way I shall create employment opportunities for these girls and also share handskill knowledge to create sustainability and fight the problem of lack of sanitary towels among young girls.

 Kusiima is a Runyankole word which means appreciation. Giving back through helping young girls access sanitary towels is the best thing i can do to say thank you for the kindness i have been shown since i was a little girl. The people who supported Nikibasika made me believe that much as the world is full of unkind people, doing the right thing is always important. I want to carry on the kindness i have been given to help other young girls live a more comfortable life.

To support Britah’s project, you can make a (tax deductible in Canada) donation via this link — there is a dropdown link that specifies Kusiima Girls Foundation.