RAISING TEENAGERS UGANDA HIKES TO HELP GIRLS SOAR IN SCHOOL
The lives of young people that we have touched will not remain the same.
#OmutimaOmugabi #KutoaNiMoyo
Hikers took to the countryside to champion dignified menstrual health.
Raising Teenagers Uganda (RTU) is a non-governmental organization which was founded in 2014 with the purpose of empowering girls in Uganda by keeping them in school and out of child marriages. It focuses on building skills and knowledge on assertiveness, communication skills, menstrual hygiene management, reproductive health, and provides career guidance and counselling services.
There is a myriad of reasons for girls dropping out of schools in Uganda but the most prevalent are limited or no access to sanitary towels, child marriages and teenage pregnancy. More to that, girls with incarcerated parents often lack the information and resources for them to undergo menstruation in a dignifying and safe way. RTU, considering this, took positive steps to rectify this imbalance.
Since 2017 RTU has been organizing annual hiking events with the aim of creating awareness and breaking stigma around menstruation. The annual hikes are open to all well-wishers that believe in supporting underprivileged girls to menstruate with dignity and respect.
This year the event was held at Kagulu rock, Buyende district in Eastern Uganda from 9th to the 10th of July. It attracted a multitude of hikers and partners whose presence and contribution greatly impacted the lives of over 500 young girls in Eastern Uganda and encouraged them to stay in school.
Speaking at the end of the event, Ms. Nankunda Hope, the Team leader of RTU and the central region coordinator of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership to end child marriage, congratulated the hikers saying, “I would like to take the opportunity to appreciate everyone that joined us for our 2022 hiking event in Buyende District. The lives of young people that we have touched will not remain the same. Our annual hiking events are aimed at creating awareness and breaking stigma around menstruation. We had 40 organizations that joined us and this was indeed a blessing towards humanity. We celebrate you all.”
To learn more about the organization and their initiatives, visit the links here: https://twitter.com/RaisingTeensUg1