And these were not isolated cases, says Molly Grace Akello, municipal education officer in Apac. Just a few years ago, only 30 per cent of girls completed seven years of primary school in the region where Ikwera Negri School is located. ‘Today one in two girls achieves the primary school leaving certificate.’ The reasons for dropping out of school are complex, but those responsible within the Ugandan Government are convinced that the stigmatisation of menstruation in families and village communities, and the lack of menstrual hygiene options are key reasons. When girls miss so many classes, month after month, they fall behind, and eventually just give up.
There is no danger of that with Mary Ayugi. Together with her classmates, the self-assured 11-year-old has just recited a poem about menstrual hygiene and toilets – and there were no giggles. Now she is showing the visitors around the school’s new toilets. The girls’ toilets also have a changing cubicle. If necessary, the girls can wash, clean their clothes, wash re-usable sanitary towels, and hang them up to dry. There are also handwashing facilities outside, with space for lots of girls and boys.
Mary’s periods haven’t started yet, she tells us very frankly. But she feels that the school has prepared her well and will provide her with support. ‘It’s just part of a woman’s body,’ she says. And it sounds perfectly natural.