There was a time when girls in Busenyi Village, Kaberi Cell, Ruheru Sector in Nyarguru District of Southern Province felt confused of what is right or wrong about reproductive health. But at the moment, Gloriose Mushimiyimana, a student at Groupe Scolaire Ruheru says they have got to know everything concerning their rights and reproductive health since Speak Out project reached at her school. Mushimiyimana, is now a coordinator of the project at her school, revealed they had no idea of what violence is to the extent that a 20-year-old girl had no idea of when exactly her periods come, that having sex is the best solution to healing the spots in your face or getting your heaps big. But now, they project got them right. She says people told them all these lies with an intention to defile them and some would find in such situations because the parents did not take time to tell the truth about reproductive health. For them, Speak Out Project is their parent because it gave them a guide to protect themselves and their colleagues. “You would ask parents why our breasts have started to appear, why our hips are growing big or about periods among other things but she could not explain to you but we have got all answers since we attended Speak Out’s training. Now, at least every trained girl knows what to do and are aware of what happens to their health,” says Mushimiyimana. Hard to know what is true or fake Before Speak Out trained them, Mushimiyimana says girls would be told a lot about menstruation but in a different way, but could not know what is true between what they study at school, what their friends tell them and what they read in books. “For instance, I did not know what is true about menstruation because teachers would teach the topic differently and I struggle to get what is true. I never knew what periods are, what reproductive health is, I was so confused that I reached secondary school with no idea about periods,” she recalled They consider Speak Out a parent “For now, I am informed enough to explain everything. I did not have a chance to live with my mother, the uncle’s wife could not give me time explain how to behave every time I told her that I got periods. But Speak Out became my parent whom I ask everything and get the answer,” she says With the training she got from the project is helping her colleagues a lot because whenever a student has a problem about reproductive health, they feel free to seek information from her. For instance, says, when girls get periods they seek help from her as their sister. She helps them how to put on a sanitary pad, taking care of their hygiene among other things. Speak Out has now established a girl’s room at their school where every girl is assisted and this is really paying off because girls have got to know their reproductive health. Mushimiyimana hails the project’s impact at her school in terms of reproductive health but calls up on Speak Out project to reach more parents so that they can help girls who are not trained. She says, it will prevent her colleagues getting information from wrong sources. Speak Out is a UKaid funded project operating in four districts including; Nyanza, Gisagara, Karongi and Nyaruguru. The project started in July 2018 and will end in June, 2022. The project is impemented by Action Aid Rwanda in partnership with Faith Victory Association(FVA) and Association des Guides du Rwanda(AGR). It aims at empowering girls with knowledge, support and the ability to demand their rights, take control over their bodies, make their own decisions and hold decision makers to account using a holistic, youth-led approach, working at individual and community level. Speak Out Project mainly focuses on addressing Sexual Reproductive Health Rights and Gender Based Violence in Rwanda. It directly works with School girls between 9-18 years: 5600 including 4%girls with disabilities. Indirctly, the project works with School boys between 9-18 years: 2600 and Community members men and women: 46,000
