The reason 46% of girls don't go to school in some areas of the world.

Periods suck.

I think we can all acknowledge that, right?

But happily for us, we’ve got access to supermarket aisles full of pads. We’ve got access to information about our periods (did anyone else order HEAPS of those free Libra packs during high school?) and we’ve got access to medical services when things go wrong.

It is, however, an incredibly different story for girls in developing countries. Take, for example, Uganda; a country that does not educate its women about their menstrual cycle at all. Understandably, when girls in Uganda get their period, they are terrified.

Some are so terrified that they stop going to school; 20 per cent of Ugandan girls drop out entirely when they get their period. This is largely because they have no access to hygienic and affordable pads; they never finish their education because of their periods.

Twenty eight per cent of girls simply don’t go to school at all when they have their periods. The figure is even higher in some regions of the country, where up to 46 per cent of girls don’t go to school due to having no proper sanitation facilities.

Since the girls don’t have access to pads or tampons, they use old rags, banana leaves and wads of newspaper instead. And they don’t tell anyone about their situations. The subject of periods is entirely taboo – both at home and at school.

You can imagine how disastrous the situation can be for those who struggle with their periods. Take, for example, 15-year-old Christine. She was a passionate netball player who was forced to stop playing her favourite sport or even going to school when her period arrived.

“I was so careful, I feared to move, I wouldn’t jump or scatter my legs,” said the teenager, who lives in the rural town of Tororo in eastern Uganda. “I was afraid and worried because I didn’t know what was happening to me. The first time I got sick, I would just lie still, be quiet and sleep. I was in so much pain.” Christine ended up finding a piece of carpet to use as a pad, but it leaked and she was ridiculed by the boys in her class.

Check out the video below:

For girls like Christine, it’s vital to make sure they have access to sanitary pads. But it’s also vital that they get some education and support to understand what’s actually happening to their bodies.

Happily, on this World Health Day, there’s a project kicking off that will likely change the lives of thousands of women across these developing countries – for the better.

It’s called the Menstrual Hygiene Project and it’s about improving the knowledge, attitude and practice about menstrual hygiene management in these communities – as well as working with children in schools to see that the silence is broken in these communities.

It’s also ensuring that women and girls have access to effective, low-cost menstrual hygiene product by introducing affordable, hygienic and reusable pads.

Girls like Christine had training on personal hygiene, on how you keep yourself safe and clean during menstruation. These girls can then educate their fellow sutdents about menstrual health and hygiene.

It’s a brilliant and important initiative. And it’s all about women helping women through what may be one of their most challenging life experiences.

The Menstrual Hygiene Management project in Uganda is supported by Plan. They are working in schools with teachers, students and school health clubs to improve the knowledge and attitudes around reproductive health and how girls can manage their periods.

Plan has also partnered with local business Afripads, who will supply and train community members on the re-usable sanitary pad. This in turn will improve girls’ health and insure that they access quality education and don’t miss out on school.

Want to help? You can. To support this program and help children fulfil their Right to Health, become a Supporter of Change today: www.plan.org.au