This week, Uganda will host the first Menstrual Hygiene Management Conference in East Africa. The conference will showcase good practices and stimulate discussions on how improve menstrual hygiene management, especially in schools.
Published on: 12/08/2014
On August 14 and 15, Kampala will be home to the first Menstrual Hygiene Management Conference in East Africa. Non-Government Organisations are working with Ministries of the Government of Uganda and the Parliament of Uganda in preparation for this event. The conference will bring people together to discuss how improve menstrual hygiene management, especially in schools, with support from actors at district and national level.
IRC Uganda is one of the organisations leading the conference preparations and will present results from a study done in 2011-2012 on the impact of menstrual hygiene on girls in school in Uganda. As Lydia Mirembe and Marielle Snel explain in their blogpost 'breaking the silence on menstrual hygiene management', the conference is an opportunity to break the silence about menstruation and help policy makers understand what they need to consider in menstrual hygiene management.
The conference has 4 objectives:
1) to raise awareness on the impact of poor menstrual management,
2) to advocate for policy review
3) develop strategies for operationalising existing policy
4) demonstrate sustainable good practices on menstrual management.
The overall aim is to explore how the Ugandan School Health Policy can ensure girls get all the support they need to complete school and reach their full potential.
