Sauma and Ibrahim: Heroes for gender transformative action
Sauma and Ibrahim are getting support from Amref school health clubs in Uganda to fight period stigma and gender stereotypes.
Read the 2023 Impact Report
On the Sigulu Island in Eastern Uganda, two grade 7 students at Bugana Primary School are advocating for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
Ibrahim: SRHR champion
16-year-old Ibrahim Bwire, a fervent defender of girls’ education believes that girls missing school because they have their periods is unacceptable.
"The girls in our school miss school because of shame and embarrassment, and we always know that when a girl misses school, it is almost always because of the same thing," he explains.
28% of girls in rural Ugandan schools miss school during their menstrual periods according to a Meniscus Report. The stigma surrounding menstruation is a significant barrier to education for many girls. This issue is worsened by the lack of access to menstrual products, inadequate sanitation, cultural taboos, and the associated shame and embarrassment.
This absenteeism impacts their education, forcing them to stay at home where they miss vital classes and information, making it difficult for them to catch up. This also increases the risk they face of early pregnancy and early or forced marriage, as without steady education, they have a more uncertain future where marriage is seen as the ‘only’ option for their future.
The Heroes for Gender Transformative Action programme
Targeting young girls and boys aged 10-24 in nine districts of Uganda, the programme is increasing young peoples’ access to SRHR, providing menstrual health and hygiene management and improving access to water and sanitation facilities.
Ibrahim’s classmate Sauma Immaculate is a member of the Journey Plus, a club established under the Heroes programme. The club educates students on menstrual hygiene, HIV, and sexual and reproductive health. Both Ibrahim and Sauma have learned to make reusable pads from accessible materials, addressing the personal and broader community challenges of menstrual hygiene and sanitation. Boys, who previously shied away from discussing menstruation, are now more supportive and aware of the challenges girls face during their cycles.
"I feel happy because I am helping my sisters and I am helping myself, too. I even showed my mother and my sisters how to make the pad. Now, they also can make it," Ibrahim shares with pride.
The Heroes programme aims to increase knowledge, healthy behaviours, teacher support, and trusting peer relationships among students in Uganda.
Read more
To date, the project trained and deployed 932 SRHR education facilitators and enrolled 505,655 girls, boys and young people in comprehensive SRHR education.