Inspiring Futures for Ugandan Girls - UPDATE 5/29/12

[JenniO11]

Inspiring Futures for Ugandan Girls - Project Complete!

An update from the ladies of Lunapads!

In December of 2011 we asked for support from friends, customers and members of the Mothering.com community to provide 300 girls with AFRIpads kits as part of our Uganda 2012 trip. We are thrilled to report that thanks to your generosity, 350 kits were distributed near Jinja, Uganda on May 17!

What is particularly special to us about this distribution is that it was done via AFRIpads. As regular readers know, there is a longstanding mutual business crush going on between Lunapads and AFRIpads: this is the first time that we have worked directly with them.

For all that we were deeply proud to make and send Pads4Girls kits around the world from our factory here in Vancouver, it feels especially amazing that these pads were made right in Uganda: not only did 350 girls get life changing AFRIpad kits, but furthermore, 50 women have jobs making them.

The recipient groups were Buwenda Primary School and Budondo Senior School. Sexual and Reproductive Health workshops were delivered by a counselor from Marie Stopes International, which were also supported by Phionah, Helen and Ivette from the AFRIpads team.

Special thanks to Earth Mama Angel Baby, Boba Family, Red Tent Sisters and Moon Mysteries for their support of this amazing project - Webale!

[lunagal]

Thank you Mothering for your support of our campaign and to the MDC community who made such generous contributions! 350 girls are not only excited with their new pads, but now have a healthy and sustainable way to stay in school during their periods!

[lunagal]

Here is some additional info from @AFRIpads in response to a question about the availability of water to clean the pads:

Access to water is indeed an essential factor in the use of cloth pads. Uganda is a relatively lush country, contrary to common perceptions of Africa. However, areas of the country are quite dry and drought prone, making them unsuitable for use of cloth pads. As such, the schools we target to receive donations and outreach are carefully identified based on a number of factors, inclusive of access to water. In this program, the donation took place in Jinja (Eastern Uganda), which is located on the banks of the Nile River where water is abundant. Additionally, in our outreach we provide the schoolgirls with a training on proper use and care of the product to ensure the knowledge component is there. Thanks for raising this important issue!
 

[rumi]

Nice to hear about this.  Keep us posted on how it goes. 

And keep up the great work!

[sillymom44]

WOW!!  This is amazing and makes my pregnancy hormones go wild... so now I am crying tears of happiness.  I have a long standing desire to adopt children.  Recently, I read the book "Kisses from Katie"-- about a very successful high school senior who moved to Uganda to care for orphaned children.  She has inspired me to adopt children from Uganda-- I have started the research process as we speak.

[dana1974]

With all due respect, please don't do that.  You have no way of knowing that the child you want to adopt hasn't been kidnapped or their parents misled, and it doesn't matter if they're in an orphanage, since people in developing countries tend to use orphanages as boarding schools; and it doesn't matter how nicely the adoption facilitators chat you up, they could still be up to nefarious purposes.  If you must adopt, there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States and at least some of them can never go home to their families.  If it's got to be Uganda, the high school senior who went to Uganda had a better idea--go to where they are, help them in their own country.  Don't take them away from the only home they know so that they can never maintain that connection with their family and their heritage.  UNICEF is an excellent charity to support in that vein, if you yourself can't go.

[dana1974]

Aaand I posted that twice.  Sorry.  Fixed.

[tiffani]

dana1974 do you have experience with Ugandan adoption?  

sillymom44, dana1974 is not totally off base here, Ugandan adoption has gone really awry in the last year... you have to be incredibly careful in adopting from there.  If you are hoping to adopt a young baby or toddler, please just don't. there are huge waiting lists, and if people are waiting, orphans will be created.  Katie (kisses from katie) is taking in older girls and is *hopefully* very careful about who she takes in -- I haven't been following her blog for a long time -- but she isn't taking healthy young children out of Uganda, so her situation is different from most adoptive families (myself included)...  if you haven't joined the Ugandan adoption facebook group, please do so before pursuing any avenue in Ugandan adoption.  there are good lawyers and bad lawyers, good babies homes and bad ones, and situations you need to steer well clear of.  My personal opinion includes healthy young children -- no need for adoptive families for these kids in UG.  if you are wanting to adopt older (than 6) or special needs kiddos, then get in there and do your research!!!  I'll post more links tomorrow, have to get to sleep now ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.... ;-)