Uganda Red Cross in conjunction with Eco Bank have on Friday, August 11, 2023, commemorated the launch of a new reusable sanitary pads factory in Namakwa-Mukono under the campaign of Keep a Girl in school.

Robert Kwesiga, the Secretary General of Uganda Red Cross and a member of the Central Governing Board expressed his joy over the support rendered to the vulnerable girls to overcome menstrual barriers in life.

“We are happy to contribute to Menstrual Health and Hygiene, Education and School retention, and support vulnerable girls to overcome menstrual barriers in life. With the pads, they can achieve their full potential in life when they keep in school,” Kwesiga said.

He also welcomed Dr. Nik Kotecha to the community of Namakwa and thanked him for the funding rendered to the project.

“We are excited to receive Dr. Nik Kotecha from Morningside Pharmaceuticals and Randal Charitable Foundation in our local community in Namakwa, where we have established a Sanitary Pads mini manufacturing plant, with funding from Randal (Dr. Nik),” Kwesiga noted.

He added that Dr. Nik came from the UK to launch the manufacturing plant with an aim of keeping a girl child in school.

The Keep a Girl in School campaign is a nationwide initiative in Uganda aimed at addressing the issue of girls dropping out of school. The campaign is led by a number of organizations, including the Uganda Red Cross Society, Trailblazers Uganda, and Watoto.

The campaign has had a significant impact on reducing the dropout rate of girls in Uganda. In 2016, the girl dropout rate in primary schools was 14.4%. By 2022, this rate had reduced to 8.7%.