SaveGirl Uganda began as a simple idea: crowdfund money to buy sanitary pads for young women in rural areas who could not afford them. The response was immediate and generous. But as we met the young women we were serving, we realised that pads alone would not remove the barriers they faced.
Period poverty is connected to low self-esteem, limited financial literacy, lack of mentorship and few safe spaces. So we restructured SaveGirl into a mentorship programme. Today it combines menstrual health education, life-skills training, financial literacy and ongoing support — and has reached about 500 young women and men across rural Uganda.