Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene among Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in Vocational Rehabilitation Centres in Uganda: a Participatory Action Research Project

This project focuses on the promotion of menstrual hygiene among women with disabilities within five vocational training and rehabilitation centres for persons with disabilities (PWDs), namely: Kireka and Lweza rehabilitation centers in the central region of Uganda, Mpumudde rehabilitation centre in Jinja district in Eastern Uganda, Ruti rehabilitation center in Mbarara district in Western Uganda, and Ocoko rehabilitation centre in Arua district in the northern region of Uganda. This project has identified the underlying causes of poor menstrual hygiene among women with disabilities, to include; (1) Lack of information on menstruation; (2) Use of unhygienic material such as cuts from mattresses, and pieces of rag clothing, due to a financial inability to purchase disposable sanitary pads, as a result of high poverty levels among PWDs; (3) Negative cultures and perceptions on menstruation guided by myths and taboos, which also contribute to poor menstruation hygiene among PWDs. The project has also recognized that because these problems exist, women with disabilities cannot manage menstruation effectively, and so, may suffer other effects such as bacterial and vaginal infection as a result of using unhygienic sanitary material, low self-esteem, and stigma due to bad body smell, (as they may not be able to afford detergents for cleaning-up), school dropout, and discrimination due to negative cultures and perception.