In 2021, during a community assessment by the Rotary Club of Sonde, one story silenced the room. Hajat Hadijah Nakitto, Headteacher of Kiwango UMEA Primary School in Bukerere, spoke of a ten-year-old girl forced to drop out of school after becoming pregnant.
Her struggle began with something as ordinary as her first menstrual period. Without access to sanitary pads, she missed classes often. In desperation, she sought money to buy them—only to be exploited. Soon after, her education ended abruptly. Today, she is a teen mother.
Sadly, her story is not unique. In Uganda, 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 is already pregnant or a mother, and 34% are married before 18 (UBOS, 2022). Menstrual hygiene challenges—lack of pads, stigma, and silence—are hidden drivers of this cycle. Statistics reveal that 1 in 10 girls misses school during her period, and some never return.
Headteachers like Hajat Nakitto witness the toll daily.
“When a girl misses three to five days of school every month, she falls behind. By the end of the term, she is at risk of repeating or dropping out. It starts with absenteeism, but before long, some never come back,” she explains.
This is the gap the Rotary Club of Sonde stepped in to close with the Pink Basket Initiative—a simple but powerful mission: no girl should have her education cut short because of her period.
Since its launch, the initiative has distributed reusable sanitary pads across 12 schools in Goma Division, Mukono District. In July of Rotary Year 2025/26 alone, more than 600 reusable pads were distributed, bringing the total to over 7,200 pads, valued at UGX 76 million, since the Club’s charter.
Each Pink Basket pack is carefully assembled with dignity in mind. For only UGX 10,500, a girl receives:
- Two cotton panties
- A cake of soap
- Two reusable sanitary towels
Beyond the items lies a message of hope: that girls deserve uninterrupted education, free from the silent barrier of menstrual stigma.
The campaign goes beyond pad distribution, integrating Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) education, male role modelling for boys, and Gender-Based Violence awareness. It is implemented in collaboration with partners including the Girl Initiative for Better Education and Health (GIBEH), Rwenzori Center for Research and Advocacy (RCRA), and Mischana Uganda, the producers of the reusable pads.
For the girls who receive them, these are not just pads; they are tickets back to the classroom, shields against stigma, and stepping stones to brighter futures. Teachers report visible change: fewer girls dropping out, more attending consistently, and a renewed confidence that shows even in classroom participation.
“No girl should ever feel ashamed or be forced out of school simply because of a biological process, “her period”. When we give a girl pads through the club’s Pink Basket, we are telling her: you belong in that classroom, your dreams matter, and nothing should stand in your way. We are not only protecting her dignity but giving hope to her and her parents, and reminding the whole community that an educated girl is an empowered future.” says President Christine Alupo.
The initiative also tackles the silence around menstruation. In schools, teachers are beginning to have open conversations with girls about their bodies, reproductive health, and self-worth. Boys, too, are learning to support their female peers instead of mocking them, reducing stigma.
To sustain the impact of the Pink Basket initiative, RC Sonde has committed to funding it annually through member contributions. The club has also forged partnerships with NGOs supporting teenage mothers, including the Rwenzori Center for Research and Advocacy (RCRA), which has pledged a steady supply of reusable sanitary towels.
The club’s vision is even bolder, empowering girls with hands-on skills to produce their own reusable pads.
“Our dream is not just to distribute pads, but to create a system where girls and young women can make them for themselves and for others. Plans are underway to establish a reusable pad production facility in Sonde, with feasibility studies already in progress this Rotary year,” says President Christine Alupo.