Menstrual hygiene remains one of the most overlooked public health and gender equity challenges affecting adolescent girls in refugee camps and rural communities across Uganda. Thousands of teenage girls continue to experience menstrual poverty due to limited access to sanitary pads, inadequate menstrual hygiene education, persistent stigma, and poor water and sanitation facilities. As a result, many girls are forced to miss school during menstruation, experience emotional distress, low self-esteem, menstrual-related infections, and social isolation.
The inability to afford safe menstrual products pushes some vulnerable girls into unsafe coping mechanisms, exposing them to abuse, exploitation, and long-term health risks. International Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed globally every 28th May, provides a critical platform to raise awareness about menstrual health, promote menstrual dignity, and advocate for health equity and empowerment for girls and young women.
Through this global observance, Rutnak Foundation aims to launch a large-scale menstrual hygiene awareness and sanitary pad distribution campaign targeting refugee camps and underserved rural areas in Uganda, ensuring that no girl is left behind simply because of her period.