A story about a schoolgirl in eastern Uganda who reportedly filled a polythene bag with sand, added a little water to hold it together, and used it as a makeshift sanitary pad has inspired a nationwide campaign aimed at ending period poverty and keeping girls in school.
The incident, which was reported by the Daily Monitor in August 2024, deeply moved Mukundane Hope, the Lead Partnerships, Services and Housing Projects Manager at Kili Clear Campaign. “When I read that story, it broke my heart,” Mukundane said. “At the time, I was already working on a project addressing teenage pregnancy. I realized period poverty was another crisis forcing girls out of school, and it needed an immediate solution.”
