The Busoga Kingdom Youth Council (BKYC) has launched a comprehensive Career Guidance and Inclusive Menstrual Hygiene Initiative (CGIMH) in Kaliro District, aiming to keep learners in school and equip them for life beyond graduation.
The program, inaugurated on Friday, July 18, 2024, at Namwiwa Secondary School, addresses both academic preparation and critical health barriers that often lead to student absenteeism.
Led by BKYC Chairperson Yafesi Bairukireki, the youthful delegation arrived with a two-pronged agenda: to help students chart realistic career paths and to remove the menstrual health hurdles that frequently force girls out of school.
“Education must be more than chalk and exams; it must protect dignity and unlock opportunity,” Bairukireki told an assembly of some 650 students gathered in the school courtyard.
The one-day programme featured motivational talks on subject selection and goal-setting, alongside a hands-on workshop where girls were taught to stitch their own reusable sanitary pads.
This practical exercise is intended to significantly reduce monthly absenteeism among female students.Namwiwa Secondary School Headteacher Waiswa Alamanzani lauded the Kingdom’s decision to dispatch youths to engage with their peers on educational matters.
“We had long searched for partners willing to speak to learners in a language they trust,” Alamanzani remarked. “The Kyabazinga’s call to keep children in school will echo loudly in this region.”
However, Alamanzani also highlighted existing infrastructure challenges, noting that with only two permanent classroom blocks, dozens of pupils still receive lessons beneath mango trees.
Paul Munanha, BKYC speaker, responded by explaining that each outreach now includes a symbolic tree-planting ceremony, aligning with the Kyabazinga’s “twin agenda—green Busoga and educated Busoga.”
Prince Job Mugoya from Bukooli chiefdom framed the initiative as both a cultural and social mission. “His Majesty graduated this year; that act alone preaches louder than speeches. We are here to amplify his example,” he stated.
Fellow council member Moreen Nakirima urged parents to purchase cloth and needles so their daughters could continue making pads at home. “Self-sufficiency is cheaper than emergency trips to the trading centre,” she advised.
The initiative has already begun to impact students. Senior Two student Anitah Namwebya, who received three packets of pads, enough for two months, expressed her relief. “I feared missing class whenever periods came. Now I’m covered—and I can sew more,” she said, proudly displaying her first homemade sample.
Freshman Michael Igaga left the session with renewed commitment, vowing: “They showed me success starts with respecting myself, parents and teachers. From today, school is my first priority.”
The BKYC plans to replicate this model across all 11 districts of Busoga, targeting both primary and tertiary institutions. While funding is largely voluntary, the council stated that discussions are underway with NGOs to secure supplies for hard-to-reach sub-counties.
“We will not rest until every learner—boy or girl—can attend school without shame or uncertainty,” Bairukireki affirmed as the team departed Kaliro for Jinja.
