A new episode of the Zonta Club of the Joliet Area's Zonta on the Move podcast has dropped! In this one, we talk with Lauren Matovu of Serve for Hope Uganda, about one of their initiatives, Pads for Hope.
Serve for Hope Uganda became a registered NGO in Uganda in 2014 and partners with a 501(c)3 in the U.S. called Venture Corps. Serve for Hope Uganda is dedicated to a holistic transformation of communities by empowering women and children to achieve their full potential in society. Lauren, an American, from the suburbs of Chicago, founded Serve for Hope with her husband, Leonard Matovu, of Uganda.
Serve for Hope's program, Pads for Hope, provides menstrual hygiene education and reusable pads to adolescent and teenage girls across Uganda. Just $10 provides one girl with the education and pads she needs for one year! The Pads for Hope program started in November 2017 with community sensitization (menstrual hygiene education). In March 2018, Serve for Hope began distributing reusable/washable menstrual pads in conjunction with the community sensitization. Since March 2018, over 2,000 girls have been reached through this program.
Menstruation is a taboo topic in many villages in Uganda; the stigma of it being "unclean" remains. Pads for Hope brings awareness and learning opportunities for the least privileged youth in hard-to-reach areas. Through learning sessions they have community and school dialogues on various topics like the menstrual cycle and menstrual hygiene management. The relevancy of educating girls about menstrual hygiene management is to emphasize that menstruation is a normal biological process.
Learn more about Serve for Hope at http://www.serveforhope.org/getinvolved.
Find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts.
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