Safe Space 4 Her

The project seeks to address the problem of limited access to Menstrual Hygiene materials and safe spaces for discussion of issues around Menstrual hygiene, GBV, and SRHR.

According to a study commissioned by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) in 2017, 65% of girls and women in Uganda are unable to fully access and meet their Menstrual Health and Hygiene needs. Such needs take the form of menstrual hygiene materials; information about menstruation and cultural beliefs around menstruation. Far from being accepted as a normal biological change, menstruation is treated at par with untouchability. There are families in Busoga Subregion of Uganda and Bugiri district in particular that force girls to stay in special enclosures during their periods. Such girls end up missing school due to stigma around menstruation and lack of materials to conveniently use for managing their periods as they fear abuses from boys even fellow girls when menstrual blood stains their clothes. This eventually results in poor academic performance as compared to boys. The same survey by SNV reports that 70% of adolescent girls reported menstruation as a major hinderance to optimal academic performance at school. The situation analysis research conducted by Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports in 2020 revealed that 77% of girls miss 2-3 days due to menstrual hygiene- related challenges. This results into a cascade of poverty challenges including early marriages which causes teenage pregnancies with its associated health risks; low literacy rates; poor health decisions; high births; and low household incomes. Moreover, there is a knowledge gap on menstruation among girls and community members at large. There is a gap in knowledge of signs of menstruation, appropriate menstrual hygiene management materials, as well as myths around menstruation. Due to ignorance, girls end up using unhygienic materials like rugs which expose them to infections. Older men in the area also take advantage of naïve girls to have intercourse with them during their periods with a belief that this can cure them from HIV which results in menstruating girls getting infected with HIV. This complex mix of challenges around menstruation and SRHR points at the need for a safe space where issues around menstruation can be handled which Safe Space 4 Her seeks to provide.

Safe Space 4 Her is a safe premises where girls can seek information about menstrual health, SRHR, and GBV; have access to materials for use during periods as well as a help-point where victims of sexual violence get assistance in form of counseling, medical care, as well as legal assistance. It is an enclosure built with and for the community to address issues around menstrual hygiene. In this space, girls can enter at their convenience and make inquiries about menstruation. They can also have access to menstrual hygiene materials like reusable sanitary pads, menstrual caps, and tampons. Girls and women shall also be trained on how to make, use and maintain menstrual hygiene materials. Messages shall be provided to these girls on myths around menstruation. In this space, girls shall also seek assistance in form of counseling, medical care as well as legal assistance. An adolescent clinic shall also be within the space to attend to the medical issues facing menstruating girls for example premenstrual syndrome, painful menstrual periods, excessive bleeding and irregular menstrual periods. Girls shall be given platforms to meet at their convenience with menstrual hygiene experts in a youth - friendly setting. There will be a safe space for girls to clean themselves and change the materials. There will also be a space for girls to relax through games. In summary, the solution will be concerned with increasing access to menstrual hygiene materials, information, psychosocial and medical assistance as well as legal assistance to girls.

The project will serve: 

Women by: 

providing menstrual hygiene products in form of reusable sanitary pads, menstrual tampoons and caps.

Training on how to make reusable sanitary pads, and helping them to get market for the products made which will be a source of income for them as well as an opportunity to save money that would otherwise be used to buy menstrual products for themselves and their daughters

Adolescent girls by: 

providing menstrual hygiene products in form of reusable sanitary pads. This will reduce on absenteeism of girls which will in turn improve academic achievement of girls and increase their chances of getting good paying jobs in future, enhance good decision-making and improve overall community standards of living.

Training on how to make reusable sanitary pads, and helping them to get market for the products made which will be a source of income for them.

Providing knowledge on Menstruation, addressing any myths that they have around menstruation. Which will enable girls to make informed decisions for their SRH.

Providing legal assistance to victims of sexual violence and other forms of GBV

Providing a safe space for girls to change their pads and clean themselves during periods

Providing a platform for victims of GBV to freely share their experiences.

This project is being implemented by Stretch a Hand Foundation. Stretch a Hand Foundation as an organization is a predominantly Women -led and Women -Focused grassroot organization providing SRHR services centered around menstrual health and hygiene to communities in Busoga subregion of Uganda and Uganda as a whole. Our grassroot nature has given us a feel of the real challenges in the communities that we serve. We have been providing Menstrual Health and hygiene services to the communities for now one year and we have the trust of community members. Moreover, we have a number of volunteer adolescent girls on our team who better understand the challenges faced during menstruation, some of whom are already beneficiaries of our community works. The implication of this is that we shall be solving the challenge with adolescents rather than for adolescents. Additionally, our team is composed of individuals of diverse professional backgrounds ranging from teachers, health professionals, journalists, social workers, tailors among others who jointly contribute to a pool of skills necessary for such a project like Safe Space 4 Her.

Safe Space 4 Her is more than just an idea because significant steps have already been taken by Stretch a Hand (the mother organization) towards it's realization.As an organization, Stretch a Hand has been providing SRHR services centered around menstrual hygiene to people in Busoga subregion for now one year. This has always been done at our office in Jinja and through outreaches in both communities and schools. We also have some of the requirements needed for the project for example we have a team of tailors who assist with making reusable sanitary pads, a few (2)sewing machines, information education communication (IEC) materials. We are building our strategy by recruiting more staff, setting up a bigger space, adding more departments for example legal department and clinical department where girls can be assisted by lawyers and medical workers respectively. We therefore anticipate an acceleration in solution building and distribution speed with external support.

Holistic approach; While other organizations in the area have addressed the issue of Menstrual Health and Hygiene by providing sanitary pads to girls, our team is approaching the same challenge in a rather more holistic way by including aspects of medical care for health conditions associated with periods as well as legal support to survivors of GBV which have for long been neglected.

Reduced communication gap between service providers and clients by creating platforms for both physical meetings with medical specialists and legal experts as well as virtually through free telephone calls.

With Safe space 4 her,  it will see more young girls empowered to co create the same thing all over the eastern districts, or even the whole country, and also to win the battles of "period poverty" amongst our people and  communities, its not something that is going to be in only one area but we are looking at something that will be a rebirth of many other premises to extend services to the vulnerable people and teach them how they can mitigate the challenge on their own, that will boast their self esteem and confidence to attack these challenges with no fear or shame in the face of those that were seeing menstruation as a taboo which largely affect young girls in our communities, but also we are fostering for open conversation to both men and women to embrace the topic of menstruation and normalize it to  help these young people to bleed with pride. looking at collaborations with other community based organizations who can align with our goal of promoting and advance the wellbeing of the members of our communities, achieving a safe space 4 her in every single year in one community will see stretch a hand foundation realizing its dream of extending menstrual hygiene information, rights and safe products to the communities and thus five premises will be a reality dream achieved to us as we wish never to witness a girl child failing to attend school because of her periods because its every woman's/girl's right to menstruate. 

Outcome 1: Our solution will increase access to menstrual health and hygiene materials including reusable sanitary pads. This will be through training adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) on how to make them using sewing machines. These will then be distributed to the girls for use during their periods and the surplus sold for income for the AGYW. This will reduce on absenteeism in schools , increase overall academic achievement of the girls, improve standards of living of girls due to income earned, reduce on risk of infection arising from use of unhygienic materials, reduce school dropout rates and early marriages with the ultimate sustainable development of Busoga subregion.

Outcome 2: Secondly, the solution will increase knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene, GBV and overall SRHR. This will be done by empowering AGYW with knowledge of their SRHR, as well as the means by which one can attain and defend them. AGYW will be trained on how to detect menstruation such that they can always be in position to prepare accordingly and avoid any inconveniences. They will also be given knowledge of the appropriate materials for use, how to use them, how to maintain them, as well as the places where they can get the materials. This will be done in an adolescent-friendly environment that facilitates free communication and sharing of ideas. Myths around menstruation will also be addressed such that AGYW do not fall victims of such myths. 

Outcome 3: The solution will increase access to medical care for menstruating AGYW which will make menstruation a period of enjoyment. This will be done by teaching AGYW on medical conditions associated with menstruation, availing consultation services for girls with medical workers specialized in this area and treating girls for these conditions. Girls will be free to make such consultations through phone calls or physical meetings. This will reduce absenteeism rates and improve overall academic achievement of AGYW on top of ensuring that AGYW live health lives.

Outcome 4: Increased access to legal assistance to survivors of GBV through discussions with our local experts. This will reduce on prevalence of such actions as perpetrators will be punished. It will be done by providing a free environment for girls to share their experiences during leisure activities within the Safe Space 4 Her premises.

Full time staff -4.

Part-time staff -3.

Contractors -2.

volunteers -2.

One year. Stretch a Hand Foundation has been actively participating in promotion of Menstrual Health and Hygiene and overall SRHR in Busoga subregion by providing Reusable Sanitary Pad for more than 1 year. we have reached more than 200 AGYW in schools and communities over the past one year. With the  We have refined our approach based on feedback and are now poised to scale up this impactful solution to reach even more adolescent girls and young women in need. Our experience and dedication over two years have positioned us well to make a significant difference in improving menstrual hygiene and SRHR outcomes for vulnerable populations

Diversity: We have individuals of diverse cultural, religious, professional backgrounds and political affiliations both on our team and on the organization top management team. Our team does not discriminate individuals basing on their gender identities but rather presents a fair and just ground for all to benefit.

Equity: 

We distribute our services according to the relative need for instance, while our team is headquartered in Jinja city, our team intends to open up this Safe Space 4 Her initiative in Bugiri district which is one of the most underserved districts in the area because Jinja has some other organizations like Good Neighbors who are promoting Menstrual Health and hygiene. 

We are also of kin interest in underserved rural communities in Busoga subregion with the aim of narrowing the gap between rich AGYW and their poor counterparts

Inclusion: 

Community involvement. The team is creating possible ventures and platforms to ensure that AGYW participate actively in the Safe Space 4 Her initiative. Community members in Bugiri district will be responsible for example for providing food to builders and fetching water during the construction of this Safe Space 4 Her premises.

Additionally, our team also capitalizes on using local community members as project members for instance the few tailors at our head office in Jinja are members from the community we serve.

Moreover, the organization's top management team values paramount Respect for all individuals by virtue of their human nature.

In addition, our team facilitates inclusive meetings where all social classes of people are invited and uniform participation is facilitated.

We ensure that there is no bias during our hiring and recruitment of staff.

We celebrate all holidays on the calendar so that none of our staff or beneficiaries feels left out.

At Stretch A Hand Foundation, our work is basically from the individual to the community and vise versa  giving a chance to everyone to get involved because we believe in collaboration which brings a win win situation amidst the foundation the people we serve,

Truth of the matter, many people are still shying away from  menstrual period conversation, they still want to get such information secretly even accessing products in away of disguising, so we create them a friendly environment where they are free to inquire, interact and play to earn their trust that is why we are involving men too in the games play tool to break barriers of communication and conversation on menstruation.

In a community where tailors help us to make reusable pads, we buy materials from the same people, this boasts their morale to support our work as well as bettering their ways of living in terms of income. In so doing the mindset shift around menstruation is happily attained and the same population embraces the knowledge to spread the same gossip this has really worked for us in many occasions mostly where culture was hindering our programs and outreaches while communication SRHR, Menstrual health and hygiene, WASH and menstrual rights and products.

We hope to sell our man made products at a low cost to generate income to into our treasury at the end we will manage to sustain our premises and acquire more products for those who can not manage those on market.