On 23 October 2025, the Rotary Club of Saturday E Jazz, in partnership with the Rotaract Club of E-KANOS, dedicated a day to creating lasting change at UMEA Lubugumu Primary School. The outreach project was born from a simple but crucial discovery made through direct conversations with the school’s administration and teachers. Prior to our visit, these discussions revealed a critical gap in basic safety infrastructure and preparedness, as well as a pressing health concern that was quietly hindering the education of young girls. Teachers shared that a lack of access to sanitary pads and accurate health information meant many girls were missing class during their periods, a reality that informed the very heart of our intervention.
Responding to these identified needs, our team implemented a comprehensive one-day programme designed to offer both immediate relief and long-term empowerment. We conducted interactive sessions with students on fire safety, moving beyond theory to provide practical training on how to use a fire extinguisher, ensuring the children are not just aware of dangers but are equipped to act. Recognising the specific challenges faced by the school’s female students, we held separate, dedicated sessions on menstrual health management. These discussions aimed directly at breaking the stigma and promoting dignity and hygiene, giving the girls the knowledge they need to manage their health with confidence. To provide tangible support for the immediate future, we donated essential scholastic materials to assist the Primary Seven candidates as they prepare for their crucial exams. This was complemented by a provision of sanitary pads to keep the girls in class and the installation of fire extinguishers to bolster the school’s overall safety preparedness.
The true measure of this project, however, lies in its enduring impact, which will continue to resonate long after our one-day visit has concluded. The students now possess life-saving fire safety knowledge, and the teachers are trained to utilise the donated extinguishers, meaning the school is now better equipped to respond effectively to an emergency, a capability that could one day save lives. The menstrual health sessions will have a ripple effect, empowering girls with the information they need to attend school with regularity and dignity, directly contributing to a reduction in absenteeism. Meanwhile, the scholastic materials are hard at work, directly supporting the examination candidates in their academic pursuits and helping to pave the way for improved outcomes.
The benefits of this initiative are woven into the fabric of the school’s daily operations, ensuring sustainability long into the future. The fire extinguishers remain on-site as a permanent resource for emergency use, and the school’s teachers can now independently reinforce safety drills using the knowledge they have gained. On the health front, we encouraged a peer education model, enabling the girls who participated to share their new understanding with others, fostering ongoing awareness without the need for constant external input. While the Rotary Club of Saturday E Jazz and the Rotaract Club of E-KANOS remain committed to this community, potentially facilitating future pad donations or refresher sessions, the foundation has been laid for UMEA Lubugumu Primary School to sustain these crucial hygiene and safety initiatives on its own.
