A member of the Feral Choir from Kirkcudbright is using the upcoming Forgotten Carols concerts to promote and fundraise for a Ugandan charity that provides sanitary products for school aged girls.
When Ami Robb heard that many girls in Uganda avoid going to school or drop out altogether because they don’t have access to tampons and sanitary towels she knew she had to do something.
“I couldn’t believe the figures,” Ami tells us. “Around 20% of the school year is missed because of something most of us in the UK take for granted. That’s why I’m working with a Ugandan charity to help change this for over 500 young girls.”
Ami first heard about the issue on a visit to the country more than four years ago. She discovered that girls were improvising with materials that were not always comfortable or hygienic and that there was a lot of misinformation surrounding menstrual health.
She has teamed up with Together Alive Health Initiative, which distributes reusable kits that are manufactured by a social enterprise employing 150 women. Ami will make an extended visit next year at her own expense to help deliver the kits alongside health sessions to increase knowledge and dispel unhelpful myths.
Audiences at the Forgotten Carols concerts can learn more about the charity and contribute to Ami’s fundraising effort. She is aiming to raise around £1500 from friends, family and the wider public.
“Studies show that school attendance improves when girls receive these kits, which cost under £3.50 each. A little really does go a long way,” says Ami.
Forgotten Carols will be performed in Dalry, Twynholm, Dumfries Museum and Kirkpatrick Durham on the weekend of 15th-17th December.
See http://www.feralchoir.co.uk/news/ for more information and booking details. All tickets are £10.
With over 1.5 million AFRIpads Menstrual Kits sold and counting, AFRIpads has demonstrated how a simple product innovation is helping hundreds of thousands of women and girls live more hygienic, comfortable and productive lives. www.afripads.com
