Jinja to get Shs1.7b sanitary pad factory

“The Turkish government has delivered three sets of machines worth Shs1.7 billion, including one for producing soap, pampers and pads,” Ms Nmautamba said on Tuesday, adding that “stakeholders and the Kingdom will communicate where the factory will be constructed in Jinja City.”

She, however, added that the materials and machines are being kept in one of the stores after which they will be moved to the site.

Ms Namutamba further explained that the pads and soap will be disturbed free-of-charge to school-going girls facing challenges that force them out of school during menstruation.

According to Ms Namutamba, education of the Girl Child in the rural areas of Busoga Sub-region is being challenged by lack of sanitary pads as several parents cannot afford Shs3,000 to buy them.

Dr Abubaker Byango, an official from the Turkish Embassy in Uganda, said the Kyabazinga requested for the sanitary pad-making plant and soap-making machine, noting that full production equipment has been delivered to start production of the products.

“We have also delivered the raw materials for producing the pads, and soap as we plan for more projects to overcome social challenges in the Sub-region,” Dr Byango said.

Taboos on menstrual hygiene, inadequate access to clean and safe hygiene facilities, shame and embarrassment while in their period, and lack of sanitary materials are some of the reasons adolescent girls give for not attending school regularly, according to Ugandan authorities.

In February, Monitor reported that girls in Buyala Village, Budondo Sub-county, Jinja City, were molding sanitary pads using soil as part of their menstrual hygiene routine.

Maimuna (not her real name), a Senior Two student in one of the schools in Buyala Village, said she resorted to using soil-laced rugs because her mother couldn’t afford standard sanitary pads, but “was most comfortable when she didn’t go to school.”

All Maimuna did was to pile soil in a polythene bag, fold it and pierce four holes to absorb the blood; thereafter, she inserted a small towel and wore it with two or three knickers because one pair of knickers couldn’t hold it.

Odur Foundation, a charity organisation aimed at empowering the Girl Child, has been at the forefront of distributing reusable sanitary pads in Busoga Sub-region since 2016.

Their latest donation was a consignment of 600 packets of reusable pads to vulnerable girls of ten primary schools in Mayuge District, including Bufulubi, Buyemba, lwanika, Luubu, Kigandalo, Bukabooli, Nabyama, Buwaaya, Buwolya, and Buyugu, which was handed over to the District Education Officer, Ms Jalia Nabirye.

The foundation's chief executive officer, Mr Jacob Odur, welcomed the prospect of having a sanitary pad factory in Busoga Sub-region, saying the development is “timely”.

“We welcome the idea of setting up a sanitary pads factory in the region to complement our efforts to serve the community through our partners, which we have been doing since 2016,”

Mr Odur, whose foundation also distributed reusable sanitary pads to teenage girls in Bugonza Parish, Kaliro District, said.