May 27, 2022 12:15 PM
Frank Mayhew-International Service/Kakira Project
International Service - An update on our club's very succesful Kakira project by Frank Mayhew

Keeping Girls in School in Uganda

 
Frank and Kathie Mayhew have been supporting schools in Uganda for years thru their Anthill Foundation NGO, and thru The Rotary Foundation, building new classrooms and renovating others. 
 
One thing they noticed was the dropout rate among girls during the years they started their menstrual cycles.  With no adequate facilities for girls to handle their sanitary needs at the school, they often stayed home that week, which put them behind scholastically.  After a period of time, they fall so far behind that they just drop out of school.  
 
Thats when the Mayhew’s decided to not only renovate the existing run down classrooms, but to also build new ones, complete with furniture, desks and books for each child.  They also installed toilet blocks for boys and girls, with the girls' block having an extra facility to take care of their sanitary needs.  In addition, classes were conducted on how to make re-usable sanitary pads, and even included boys in this phase to help educate them that this is a part of life, and not a sickness, helping to remove that stigma. 
 
This was done with in conjunction with a local Rotary Club in Uganda, qualifying for a Global Grant, and with funds from Anthill Foundation to cover certain costs not associated with the grant.
 
Statistics have shown a reduction in the dropout rates and an increase in grade point averages. 
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