Adjumani in Uganda is one of the poorest regions in the country home to largely displaced communities.

St Mary’s Assumpta Girls Secondary School is a crucial support system for refugee girls as despite stretched resources and overcrowded classrooms, the school is centred on empowering young women to take ownership of their own lives and provides the encouragement and safe space to learn and aspire for more.

Christina Zetlmeisl, JRS Country director, cuts ribbon to open facilities

Most refugees in Adjumani come from South Sudan where cultural norms promote early childhood marriage jeopardizing the education and development of girls.

This is one of the biggest challenges our partners Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) face in building a strong foundation for girls’ education, and as well as addressing the barriers to education related to poverty, partnered with JRS, we are supporting refugee girls with specific gender responsive action.

One challenge linked to girls’ education is menstrual hygiene and the lack of access to safe and proper toilet and sanitation facilities.

As well as the lack of affordable hygiene products, miseducation and inaccessible or unsafe toilet facilities worsens the experience of vulnerable girls and compels them to miss school and feel ashamed for bleeding – this domino effect means teens are jeopardising their own futures over needless period stigma and the lack of access to safe wash facilities.

Last week, the official handover of newly built latrines to St Mary’s Assumpta was attended by JRS Staff, School Administration, Students and the District Engineer Assistant and Contractor who constructed the building.

The facility has 4 latrines, 1 for students with disabilities and a shower with an integrated incinerator.

Although a simple Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) construction project, the toilet facilities as well as improving overall student public health, will also address the specific needs of girls – so they can focus on what really matters.

Thanks to support, like yours, refugee girls in Adjumani can overcome the needless barriers they face.

We can support girls education together