There was a sigh of relief on Friday 8th October as city Lawyer Shiela Namahe partnered up with singer Sheebah Karungi to launch ‘FOR HER Foundation’ a new menstrual health campaign aimed at raising awareness around the heightened menstruation related challenges women and girls in communities.

The campaign started off with the Founders Sheila Namahe and Sheebah Karungi ( For her foundation and Sheebah Cares respectively ) handing out 4000 packets of pads to the areas of Gaba ( Kitogo ) Namuwongo , Makindye and Nabisalu .

The launch was preceded with a sensitization drive on menstrual hygiene management for the girls and women in the areas visited .

According to Sheila Namahe who is also a managing partner of Maxim advocates revealed that young girls engage in transactional sex to be able to afford pads and in the process are exposed to dangers of early pregnancy and HIV.

” If Condoms are Free why can’t pads be free so that every girl accesses them”,she said.

A study by the duo also revealed that many girl in indigent communities abscond from school when in their periods due to lack of pads .
They called out to government to join hands with civil society to right this wrong .

Speaking about the campaign, Sheebah, who is also the founder of Holipads, a menstrual pads company, revealed that the time is ripe to talk about menstrual health issues and end the stigma surrounding it especially for young girls.

“Every girl and woman has a stigmatising menstrual story to tell and it’s time to end the stigma, cultural rigidity and norms. It’s time to change the story to menstruation is normal and menstrual health and hygiene is a right,” she said.