Twelve year old Sumiya lives with her parents and four brothers. She is in primary seven and the third born in her family. In 2018, Sumiya joined one of the children clubs formed by SAO in her community. “I joined Young Angels Children Club in Awach Sub County, Abim District and was elected as the Vice chairperson of the club.”
As a group, we are engaged in activities such as saving, drama, music, sports and farming. “With help from SAO, we were able to plant a garden of tomatoes and egg plants from which we shared the vegetables for our nutrition and sold some and got 80,000 shillings. We shall use this money to buy a net ball for the girls in our club.”
Sumiya explains that one of her greatest achievement from the club is gaining confidence. “Because of my confidence, I participate in the termly monitoring for hygiene and sanitation for children with disability in Awach and Lotuke sub counties. Given this opportunity, I and other club members were able to convince the area councillor to take the matter to the sub county council for implementation.”
She adds, “We were also taught how to make reusable sanitary pads and sensitize other children in the community who don’t know the importance of sanitary pads.”
Many girls in Sumiya’s community either do not go to school during their monthly periods or drop out of school. “The skills of making re-usable sanitary pads will help girls who cannot afford the disposable pads to remain in school and participate amongst their peers, says Sumiya.
The club’s future plan is to train their peers in the village about children parliament and drama so that they can talk about their rights in the right way.
Story by Sarah Tumwebaze
Communications and Marketing Officer
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