Menstrual stigma still fueling teenage pregnancy, school dropouts in Uganda

Buyende, Uganda: As Uganda joins the world to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, stakeholders have raised concern over the persistent stigma surrounding menstruation, which they say is still contributing to early pregnancies and school dropouts among girls.

Despite ongoing advocacy and education campaigns, community leaders and activists note that many households continue to treat menstruation as a taboo subject, forcing girls into silence, shame, and harmful decisions during their menstrual cycles.

Harriet Nalugonvu, a mother of one, recalls being shunned by her own mother when she first sought answers about her period. “When I asked my mother about menstruation, she declined to tell me and chased me away. Later, when I had my first period at age 12, she simply told me I was grown up and gave me old clothes and cotton,” she recalled.

Nalugonvu narrated a painful memory of waiting until 8 pm to leave school after starting her period unexpectedly and having no sanitary pads or materials to use. “The blood was flowing, and I had no pads. I feared being laughed at by classmates, so I sat alone until dark.”

James Kiyimba, from WaterAid Uganda, said menstrual stigma thrives because of silence and fear. “People don’t want to talk about it. If you ask a woman about her cycle, she hides. Even when buying pads, some ask for ‘bread’ to avoid saying it. Men also fear buying pads. All this promotes stigma,” Kiyimba said.

He added that even reusable sanitary pads, though more accessible, are often poorly maintained because stigma prevents girls from drying them in the open sunlight, risking their health. “They are hidden, and that’s not safe.”

FAWE Uganda Intervenes

In Buyende District, FAWE Uganda, under the SHARE Project, is helping break the silence. Through a combination of school-based programs, community dialogues, and district-level advocacy, the organization is working to normalize menstruation and support girls.

In schools, FAWE Uganda has trained both girls and boys, along with senior men and women teachers, in making reusable sanitary pads, conducted Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) sessions on menstrual hygiene, bodily autonomy, and peer support and established initatives such as TUSEME (“Let’s Speak Out”) clubs in seven secondary schools as safe forums for learners to voice challenges.

In communities, the organization has spearheaded village dialogues with parents and adolescents to dismantle cultural myths and encourage male involvement, as well as organizing open forums where women share period management strategies while boys and men learn how to support them.

With the authorities, FAWE Uganda has pushed for integration of menstrual hygiene into district work plans and budgets, and advised them on gender-responsive SRH policies that ensure funding for sanitary materials, improved WASH facilities, and educator training.

Through these combined efforts, FAWE Uganda has significantly reduced menstrual stigma in Buyende, while improving access to menstrual health services and keeping more girls in school.