Amidst the pandemic in 2021, many of the young adults in Kabale, Uganda, were lost and without work. Lockdowns were in place and there were few job opportunities. They needed a skill that would allow them to earn money. So, COTI Uganda, a local community-based organization in partnership with Services in Action (Toronto, CA) made an investment. Together we bought six sewing machines, material, and hired a professional seamster to teach young adults to sew.
The intention of the project was to give young adults a new valuable skill. They began by learning how to make reusable menstrual pads. Our plan was to give away the first batch of pads while the students were still learning. Then, when they became proficient, the pads would be used for income and would be a social enterprise for COTI Uganda and their other programs.
Within just a few months, six hundred pads were made and given to three hundred students, right as public schools were re-opening in February 2022.
Many schools have since placed their orders requesting reusable pads for their students. None of whom are in a position to pay. To date, over 1,300 pads have been given to students who menstruate. It became clear to us that we would never be able to charge people in need of menstrual pads in Kabale. So, we needed to look beyond their borders. Services in Action is now redistributing these reusable menstrual pads from Toronto, sending all of the money earned back to COTI Uganda.
