Managing menstrual hygiene in low-income countries is difficult due to lack of access to feminine hygiene products and few adequate sanitary facilities. Studies in Uganda have found that many girls struggle to attend and do well in school due to inadequate resources to manage their periods.
Overview
Managing menstrual hygiene in low-income countries is difficult due to lack of access to feminine hygiene products and few adequate sanitary facilities. Studies in Uganda have found that many girls struggle to attend and do well in school due to inadequate resources to manage their periods. Lack of education means that teachers, communities, and families do not have understanding of menstruation, and do not understand how to support girls to improve school attendance.
Research in Uganda regarding menstrual hygiene management has been primarily among school-aged girls. Research” among girls in 6 primary schools in the Rukungiri district in Uganda found that 61.7% missed at least one day of school per month due to menstruation. The primary reason for missing school was that there was no private place for girls to wash and change at school, followed by fear of staining their clothes. The last reasons were due to discomfort or pain. One senior female teacher reported that even female teachers occasionally miss school for similar reasons. The study also assessed the toilet facilities at the schools, and found that none of the schools had toilets adequate for good menstrual hygiene management, based on UNICEF’s WASH guidelines for sanitation and hygiene. All of the schools had pit latrines, but none of them had soap, water, or disposal area for feminine hygiene products within the latrine itself. 3 schools had water available elsewhere, but all had unreliable access to water, making it essentially impossible for girls to clean hygiene products or wash their hands. Only one school had toilets with sufficient light necessary for managing menstrual hygiene, and only two had doors in the toilets necessary to maintain privacy.
