Every year, thousands of girls in rural and last-mile communities in Sierra Leone face a common but devastating challenge: they can’t afford menstrual products, and cultural taboos make periods a topic shrouded in silence.

An estimated 500 million people lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual health worldwide, and girls and women in Sierra Leone are not spared. For many of these girls, this means missing school, feeling ashamed, or using unhygienic materials that pose health risks.

With over 50,000 pads manufactured and distributed since 2020, Uman Tok, a women-led initiative in partnership with Schools for Salone, is changing the narrative. They provide sexual and reproductive health education, reusable pads, and menstrual hygiene kits to girls and women. 

The Harsh Reality of Period Poverty in Sierra Leone

Period poverty affects girls and women across different generations in Sierra Leone. Even for the Uman Tok team members, Juliet Rhoman, Mariatu Marley Yateh, Aminata Senesie, and Pastor Melvina, the challenges they faced in their adolescence due to a lack of period education and menstrual resources remain vivid memories. 

Juliet, Uman Tok’s Executive Director and a passionate menstrual health educator, recalls that she had no prior knowledge of menstruation when she got her first period. Her peers would wash their menstrual rags and hide them under their beds to dry. This reinforced the stigma surrounding periods, and when she had her first period, she did not know how to tell her elder sister, who lived in the same boarding house. 

“That negative experience I had when I got my period, the silence around it, not knowing how to take care of myself is why I am passionate about this job educating women on how to overcome menstruation challenges,” Juliet highlighted. 

Mariatu, the Sexual Reproductive Health Facilitator at Uman Tok, had a similar experience. She got her first period on sports day at school. “My mum told me not to attend; I was in SSS1 by then. I didn’t listen to her and went to school. Just after my first race, I wanted to pee. I went to pee but saw blood instead. I screamed, and I cried,” she said. 

She ran home and told her dad. Mariatu thought her body was punishing her for defying her mother’s instructions. Her father reassured her that menstruation was natural, but the fear and confusion she felt that day remained with her. 

For Aminata, an Administrator and Finance Officer at Uman Tok, growing up in a farming community in Bonthe District meant limited access to menstrual products. She thought she was wounded when she noticed blood while working on the farm. Her mother tore a piece of cloth to use as a makeshift pad and instructed her to dry it away from the male sight- a common practice in rural areas where menstruation is shrouded in secrecy.

Pastor Melvina, one of the ladies who sews reusable pads, had a different story. Her mother had educated her about menstruation before it started, sparing her from fear and confusion. As a mother of four girls, she understands the financial burden of buying disposable pads. 

Their experiences with period poverty and the lack of education surrounding menstruation have fueled their passion for working with Uman Tok. Each of these women understands firsthand the fear, confusion, and challenges that come with the lack of reproductive and sexual education. 

They ensure that the next generation of girls do not suffer in silence. Through their work, they are sparing young girls from the harsh realities they once faced and empowering them with knowledge, dignity, and access to proper menstrual care. 

Uman Tok’s Solution to Period Poverty? Dignity, Education, and Access.

Recognising that a lack of menstrual education contributes to school dropouts and early pregnancies, Uman Tok took action. 

Since 2020, they have manufactured and distributed 50,000 reusable pad kits, reaching 25,000 students with sexual and reproductive health education. This has allowed many young people access to puberty and menstrual management information. 

Uman Tok’s reusable kits are designed to last three years, significantly reducing families’ financial burden. “With proper care, they can even last longer,” Juliet explains. 

More importantly, the initiative doesn’t stop at students. Mothers, aunties, and community leaders also receive kits and education, breaking the generational cycle of period stigma. 

Beyond distribution, Uman Tok ensures that its kits are produced in hygienic conditions. This commitment to quality ensures that the pads are safe, comfortable, and reliable for users. 

Support the Campaign to End Period Poverty in Sierra Leone 

Since 2020, Schools for Salone(SfS) has been Uman Tok’s primary resource mobilization partner. Through its annual fundraising campaigns, SfS raises funds to cover operational costs, reproductive health education, and pad production at Uman Tok.  

Each term, Uman Tok (supported by SfS) delivers these essential resources to schools across the Western Area, Koinandugu, Falaba, and Tonkolili districts, ensuring that more girls can stay in school and manage their periods with dignity. 

But Uman Tok’s work is more than just providing pads; it’s about restoring dignity, confidence, and equal opportunities for women and girls. By tackling both the economic and cultural barriers of menstruation, they are making it possible for girls to stay in school and women to manage their periods with confidence. 

Juliet says, “Uman Tok’s business is everyone’s business.” 

When we ensure that menstruation is no longer a source of shame or disadvantage, we empower an entire generation of women to thrive.

This Women’s Month, Uman Tok calls for support to continue its vital work. Providing education and sustainable menstrual solutions is addressing poverty and rewriting the future for countless girls and women in Sierra Leone. 

Imagine 50,000 more girls like Juliet, Mariatu, and Aminata, whose lives will be transformed by receiving a reusable pad kit and essential education. 

Please donate to help Uman Tok create more menstrual kits and help girls and women escape period poverty. 

DONATE HERE.