💖 An October Victory and the Urgent Need to Finish Strong!
- Ric
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
This October, we scored a win for girls' education and health! While completing our nonprofit purchases for the 2026 school year, we were thrilled to secure 350 reusable hygienic pads from AFRIpads. These essential supplies are designated for distribution to the girl students of Luubu Primary in the Eastern region of Mayuge, Uganda.
It's a huge step forward, especially considering the challenges this year has presented.
Our Challenge: "To Her Full Attention" [Program]
2025 has been a challenging year for fundraising.
One of our most important initiatives, the "To Her Full Attention" program—our menstrual hygienic pad support program has suffered the consequences. Last year, in 2024, we proudly helped 1,168 girls maintain their dignity and focus in school. As we close out October this year, however, we have only reached 711 girls.
While we celebrate every girl reached, the gap is a clear indicator of the difficult year. Still, this is a HUGE accomplishment! These 711 girls now have access to a total of 17,064 months of support, they would never have had without the generosity of donors like you.
💔 The Reality: Meet Josephine
To truly understand why this support is so critical, let me tell you the story of Josephine. She is a fictional character, but she embodies the lived truth of thousands of girls we aim to help.
Josephine was born in eastern Uganda into extreme poverty. Her father left when she was very young, leaving her teenage mother to fight life alone. Josephine’s mother never finished primary school; she can barely read or write. She was married off at age 13—a tragic, outdated cultural belief dictates that when a child begins menstruating, she is old enough to marry, becoming "one less mouth to feed."
Alone and destitute, Josephine's mother took one of the few jobs available to unskilled single mothers: working at a rock quarry. Her work is backbreaking—beating big rocks into little rocks with a rudimentary hammer, paid only by the pound of gravel she can produce.
Josephine grew up at the quarry. She dreamed of school, of a life better than the dust and the back-breaking labor. She dreamed of becoming someone who could help her mother and help others, as the spirit of service lived in her heart.
⏳ A Race Against Time
Josephine enrolled in primary school, though she was already 13 and only in the 4th grade, having missed many years. But every month, a cruel reality forces her to miss more than a week of school.
This has been going on for two years. Because of this persistent absenteeism, she can’t catch up on her courses, she can't pass her tests, and she is now destined for repeating her mother's life story.
This is the grim cycle our "To Her Full Attention" program is designed to break.
The gift of a simple, reusable hygienic pad ensures girls like Josephine can stay in class every single day of the month. It keeps their dreams alive and gives them a genuine chance at education—the one true pathway out of poverty.
We are determined to finish 2025 strong and ensure 2026 is a record year. Would you consider making a donation today to help us close the gap and reach even more girls with the dignity and support they need to stay in school?
If this touches you and would like to participate reach out to info@dear-future.org
or make a donation to: www.dear-future.org
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