Pads, Condoms and Other Awkward Topics

After many months of dry season, we are officially in the rainy season!  Not only does it mean that my neighbors can begin planting and digging, it means it is finally cool at night, and I can collect rain water for bathing and washing clothes.  Sadly, I received a celebratory text message from all my closest PCVs for the beginning of rainy season.  Here's a photo to show how I "harvest" rain water.

Yes, all these basins and buckets are mine.  I couldn't have been more excited to finally get rain water- a well needed break from fetching water every two days.

Besides waiting for the rainy season to start, I've been waiting for the past eight months to begin what will be one of my biggest projects in my Peace Corps service.  In Uganda, menstruation management is a huge problem, particularly in the rural primary schools.  One pack of sanitary pads, like Always, costs about 3,000 UGX ($1.25), which seems reasonable to Americans; however, if a family has four or five girl children, they will not be able to afford 12,000-15,000 UGX per month to cover the cost of pads.  As a result, girls will turn to other methods to manage their periods.  Some will use unsanitary or uncomfortable items, like rags, socks, banana leaves, toilet paper, dried grasses, etc, which provide little security from leakage.  Some girls choose to stay home during their periods to avoid embarrassment.  Others will seek out older men, "sugar daddies," to provide Always in exchange for sexual favors.  Furthermore, many of these girls are not fully informed about changes to expect in puberty, her menstrual cycle, sexual health and HIV/AIDS. 


In order to address the issues of girl child poor performance and drop out, some PCVs and myself have developed a program for our primary schools.  Through a grant available from Peace Corps, we trained all Senior Woman Teachers and Head Teachers in female reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and menstruation management using "Reusable Menstrual Pads (RUMPS)."  After their training, I will travel to each school for a Presentation Day.  On that day, I will supervise the Senior Women Teachers as they deliver a lesson to all P5-P7 girls about their bodies, periods, HIV/AIDS and RUMPS.  The grant will subsidize materials for every girl to get a RUMPS kit for 300 UGX, usually costing 1,400 UGX.


RUMPS is a relatively new initiative in women's empowerment.  Our program focuses on using locally available materials to create washable pads.  These pads have a "pad holder," which wraps around a girl's panties to keep the absorbent towel liners in place.  The kits that we put together contain enough materials for two pad holders and three liners, so while one set is drying, she has another available to wear.  A RUMPS kit should last six to twelve months.  Our program stresses skills building, therefore the materials are cut, but not yet sown, ensuring that the girls and teachers can make RUMPS on their own in the future.


As I compiled all the materials for my workshop, the two girls that have remained living within my compound couldn't help but get curious about all the towels, clothes and needles strewn around my home.  Despite the pouring rain outside, they ventured to my door to offer their help in whatever strange things I may be doing.  As our rainy day activity, I gave them each a RUMPS kit to sew while I continued to run around my house readying for the workshop.  Both girls thoroughly enjoyed sewing as an activity and were excited to have the kits to take home.  Furthermore, I used their work as examples at my workshop, and they couldn't have been more proud.

Patricia and Namugere sewing their RUMPS kits

 Although I have been planning on implementing this RUMPS program in my all my catchment schools-15 total, it took months to get our grant approved.  When the money finally came at the end of March, we couldn't have been happier.  Or more stressed.  I don't think any of us foresaw how much work putting together a comprehensive workshop would be.  We wrote a 20-page manual for all the Senior Woman Teachers and Head Teachers.  We had to cut RUMPS materials for 50 participants.  We wrote a pre-survey to determine how knowledgeable they were prior to the workshop.  We made certificates of attendance.  Then we had to run around Mbale to print and photocopy all these documents, not to mention transport them back to our sites.  I don't think any of us knew what 2,200 pieces of paper looked like!  We had to purchase 30 rice sacks and get them tailored to avoid fraying once they were cut in halfs- we like using rice sacks to make instructional materials because they are durable and easy to transport.  Finally, we were ready!  Audrey and Bethany came to my site to help facilitate my workshop, the first of three.


Here's the agenda of our workshop:


Welcome
Pre-Survey
Introduction and Importance of RUMPS
Menstrual Cycle and Female Reproductive System
Construction of Instructional Materials for the Menstrual Cycle and Female Reproductive System
Family Planning
HIV/AIDS
Practice Q&A Session
Condom Demonstration
Presentation Day Planning at the Schools
Closing and Certificates


Needless to say, it was a very busy day!  Thankfully, I managed to get my teachers to come on time, which may be classified as a miracle.  I informed all my schools that only the first 20 participants would be given breakfast.  I think many teachers didn't think I would actually refuse participants breakfast, so the first people that arrived started calling their friends, "Madam Chelsea was serious.  HURRY to get breakfast!"  I was shocked that we could begin by 9:15 am!


Overall, the workshop was a complete success.  We covered all the material and managed to keep everyone active and involved.  We had a guessing competition about the number of eggs a woman has in her lifetime (300-500).  The winner got hard boiled eggs, which are a huge treat in Uganda.  We had an anonymous question box, in case teachers felt uncomfortable to ask sensitive questions.  We had a plate of condoms for the taking, which remained untouched until the last five minutes.  Once one teacher grabbed a few, it became a mad rush to pocket the rest!  We had fun energizers and life skills games to keep people interested in the material and from falling asleep.


You may be wondering why we covered some of the topics in our program if our program targets P5-P7 girls.  Yes, the girls should only be 10-13 years old, so it's kind of inappropriate to talk about family planning or condoms.  Well, in the rural schools, these girls tend to be any where from 10-18 years old!  And, children begin having sex very early.  So, we decided to clear the air about birth control techniques in case the girls ask about it during their opportunity to ask anonymous questions, but the Senior Woman Teachers will not instruct about it on their Presentation Day, even though family planning is in the P7 curriculum.  In one of our sessions, we practiced how to appropriately answer sensitive questions.


In Uganda, condom demonstrations are not allowed in primary or secondary schools, but we figured it was a good opportunity to show the teachers because they are leaders in the community.  Also, many girls believe condoms are pills that men take to prevent pregnancy and HIV; sadly, this is just a trick that boys and men play on girls, who don't know any better.  Even though the teachers cannot physically show condoms in class, they can explain how they are used, especially stress the fact that the girls should be able to see it.  Furthermore, Ugandan girls are extremely passive.  In many cases, girls will not look in the eyes of a boy or men when saying "no" to sex.  Therefore, we taught the teachers a life skills game called "Best Response," which practices assertive ways to say "no" to common pressure lines, such as "Com'on, everyone's doing it."  My favorite response to this line is "How do you know?  Are you watching these people have sex?  That's bad manners!"


Our teachers were very excited about all the hands-on activities at our workshop, which is rare at Ugandan workshops.  Each school made two instructional materials on rice sacks by tracing a big uterus stencils for the female reproductive system and mini uterus stencils for the menstrual cycle.  Each participant was given a RUMPS kit to sew.  We did not anticipate the teacher's eagerness to rip open the kits and begin sewing without instructions!  Much like my P7 class, I had to demand "Eyes up front!" so they could hear the instructions.  Despite our concerns, all the male teachers knew how to sew and moreover, were thrilled be making a RUMPS kits for their wives or daughters.  All the teachers were impressed by the design and reassured us that P5-P7 girls will be able to sew them.


Below are photos from both my workshop and Audrey's workshop.

Bethany showing a Head Teacher how to sew on a button

Audrey with a plate of 120 condoms

Bethany asking the teachers to repeat the name of each reproductive part.  When we came to vagina, there were more than a few snickers.  After some practice, the room was able to say it without even a smile.

The plate of condoms, the packs of moonbeads (a natural family planning method) and our question box

I'm showing how to use moonbeads, a natural family planning method

Now that our workshops are over, we have to start preparing for the Presentation Days at each school.  In my catchment, we will reach about 2,200 girls.  That's a lot of materials and many hours cutting.  Over our school holiday, starting next week, I'm going to try to get a head start in making the kits.  In fact, I'm about to purchase 75 large cotton bathing towels!