A few years ago, an innocent girl who constantly complained about painful periods was wrongly advised by a boyfriend that the only way to overcome the pain was to have sex. Knowing little about the outcome of such a decision, she gave in with the hope of getting relief but instead became pregnant.
A few years ago, an innocent girl who constantly complained about painful periods was wrongly advised by a boyfriend that the only way to overcome the pain was to have sex. Knowing little about the outcome of such a decision, she gave in with the hope of getting relief but instead became pregnant.
In order to avoid such cases and raise awareness about reproductive health among the youth, Education times has launched weekly Open discussions with students in order to expand their knowledge about reproductive health issues in education.
This week, the Education Times team visited Group Scholaire Mata, a mixed school in Muhanga District, and female students shared with us their first menstruation experience and how they manage their periods despite having limited resources.
Claudine Umutoniwase
I was 14 years old in 2008 when I started bleeding. By then I was in Primary Five. My cousin had told me earlier about menstruation so I didn’t exactly get scared. She gave me pads and told me keep a distance from boys. She warned me that getting close to boys could easily result into unnecessary temptations. The challenge though is that sometimes I have to do without pads because I can’t afford them.
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Aline Nyiramugisha
I was 14 years old when I started my periods. I saw the blood stains in the morning while taking a shower and sought advice from my teachers about how to go about it. My parents only got to learn about it when I was asking them for money to buy pads.
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Scientifique Ishoborabyose
I was 14 years when I started bleeding during the holiday. Fortunately, my big sister had told me about it (mentsruation) so I never got scared. When I told her what had happened, she bought me pads. My mother usually buys me pads but when she has no money, I improvise with a cloth.
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Emmenance Kaitesi,
I was 13 years in Primary Six when I started bleeding. We had just studied about reproduction in class so I wasn’t surprised. However, it was a bit embarassing because it happened when I was getting a hair cut in a saloon. I was helped by a female barber.
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