Searching for Solutions ~ Uganda Day 9

Once again we are sitting under the sprawling mango tree at The Nile Hotel catching up on the day’s events.

Phoebe leaves us tomorrow so we are trying hard to tie up loose ends.

 Today we went to St. Joseph’s school in Jinja. This is the secondary school that my sweet sponsor daughter goes to so, of course, I got to see “my Milly.”  She has grown into such a self- confident young woman. She talks about wanting to be an accountant and to travel to the United States. She’s hoping to meet my children Zachary and Pisie whom she calls her brother and sister, as they do too.

Lunchtime at Saint Joseph’s School.
They eat a corn porridge and beans every day.

 We started the day meeting with Moses, the director of the school. This man is very concerned about making the comfort of girls a high priority and has promised to give them a private space with water in which to change their pads.

The miserable bathroom situation. No locking door with privacy to change your pad.

We are hoping to add a simple wash cloth and bar of soap to each of our kits to help girls wash when they change their pads. They will then have soap for washing their used pads.

 We next had a focus group with nine girls. We had a great conversation about concerns related to menstruation and about what motivates these girls to stay in school.

Ellie leads a focus group of students and teachers

These focus groups are an integral part of the MoonCatcher mission.

They bring the problems of menstruation out of the closet so we can effectively begin to search for solutions.

One girl sharing her sad story of a father who has died and a family in crisis.

It was heart wrenching to hear some of the stories about their hardships and uplifting to hear about their hopes and dreams.

Many voiced the same sentiment,

“I want to stay in school to realize my vision and be respected in my community.”

 The last piece of our time at St. Josephs was to give another menstrual management class. Phoebe outdid herself today. Each audience is different and Phoebe reads them and tailors the lessons with the skill of a seasoned pro.

She tells them to look the young men in the eye that want sex and say,

Phoebe in Action – What a pro!

“I don’t need your money. I am too young. You cannot distract me from what I want to attain in my life.”

Since any form of contraception is too expensive here, abstinence is really the ONLY way to go.

We are working feverishly and today we left knowing with a full heart – we have changed lives.