On our first introduction to GDPO, we were shown the head offices, kitchen, the hall where training takes place, the welding workshop where broken wheelchairs are fixed, and the on-site health clinic. 

The on-site welding workshop where Ben repairs wheelchairs for local people.

In the clinic, we met Joyce, who leads its operations. But these are people I’ve only met before over Zoom. I don’t properly know their challenges or constraints, their backgrounds, or their lived experience. I’m desperate to ensure we aren’t treading on anyone’s toes here. It’s important to remember they are the experts – they have done this for years and know their community. Whilst our involvement can and will be important, the time limitations of our stay should not be ignored. Expressing these feelings to Joyce, she summarised it perfectly – “advocacy doesn’t happen in a day”. In fact, I wonder if advocacy can affect any change in six weeks? How long should I be spending here to make a difference? Six weeks? Six months? A year?

GDPU’s on-site health clinic

Chatting with Joe made me realise some limitations of this which I hadn’t previously considered, purely from being an outsider – might these girls want to be asked by a male who they don’t know what support is offered to them during their menstruation? May they want to be pulled out of their valuable lessons to talk about the cleanliness of their facilities? Is there a possibility the girls may be conditioned into saying certain things to us? 

Girls clearly face unique challenges in the Ugandan education system. Menstrual hygiene is a massive impediment. Indeed, poor WASH facilities – offering minimal privacy and dignity for girls on their period – means many of them miss up to one week per month of schooling. Their attainment can soon slip behind. For girls who brave this ordeal, choosing the stay in school, the anguish continues. At Abaka School, girls have no designated changing room, so are forced to replace their pads in the school library.

Girls are also bullied and shamed by their classmates – a problem which has flagged the attention of staff at Awach Central School, who have since instructed their Senior Man Teacher to discourage boys from this behaviour. But for schools without incinerators (only two of the seven GDPU primary schools have them), it’s an easier alternative for girls to chuck their period pads in the surrounding bushes.

The WASH project looks to mitigate these issues – but it isn’t the only GDPU initiative which advocates for the women and girls of Gulu…

WAW Women

We were introduced to the WAW (Women in Action for Women) ladies. The WAW ladies are all survivors of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. To rebuild their lives following such a tragedy, they have been trained in tailoring and embroidery, with a view to starting their own businesses in the future. It was amazing to see these women at work: they were making a great start to their sewing entrepreneurship by sewing bespoke dresses. We were greeted with smiles and laughs. 

This was a wonderful reminder of the strength and determination of these women, making real, tangible differences to their lives in the wake of utter hardship. They are true inspirations! 

There was even an offer of a dress and a shirt for me and Alex, an offer we think we’ll accept!