What do Gorillas and Menstrual Pads have in Common?

October 15, 2024

Member Judy Huff is back with another interesting story of travel and service.

In August I returned from Uganda checking off my bucket list adventure to go gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The hike almost did me in, but it was well worth it! As we were preparing to hike, I asked my porter, Moses, about his best and worst experiences as a porter.

Moses said his worst experience was having to carry a woman who couldn’t make it on her own feet. I could tell he was sizing me up to see if he would have to carry me. I assured him he would not (although halfway up I wasn’t so sure about that).

His best experience caught me off guard and piqued my curiosity. He had told a woman from the USA about his orphanage and dreams of helping the children in his village. That woman, Jen Remme*, went back home and created a non-profit to help him. The Njjuba Project https://njjubaproject.org/ raises funds for the children in the Mpigi and Buhoma communities in Uganda. I asked him to connect me with her to learn more about her organization; so, I could help him with the needs at this orphanage.

A common theme throughout my whole time in Uganda was the importance of getting community engagement with projects. While in Bwindi we had the privilege of learning about Conservation Through Public Health organization, www.ctph.org, founded by Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. The survival of gorillas is directly related to the health of humans and vice versa. CTPH has volunteers in each village that provide education and research on the public health of the villagers. They help families improve their sanitation needs, record any diseases, especially those potentially transmitted between gorillas and humans, and discuss family planning.

The mission of CTPH sums up the significance of everyone working together on projects. The vision is for people, wildlife and livestock living in balance, health and harmony with local communities acting as stewards of their environment.

As Moses and I sat together giving me time to catch my breath on the mountain hike, I asked what the biggest need was at his orphanage right now. He said menstrual pads! Fast forward to the next day of my trip as I am touring the Ride 4 a Woman organization. This non-profit provides lots of programs to employ women (and some men) including sewing projects which they sell to tourist. I hadn’t put two and two together yet; but I did once I was home. A quick email to the founder of Ride 4 a Woman and I learned the organization is in the planning stage for creating a reusable, fabric menstrual pad project this fall. Great, now Moses may have a local source for reusable pads!

So, what do gorillas and menstrual pads have in common? Nothing directly. However, when we keep an open mind and look for opportunities to connect various groups you never know what might come of the exchange. As Rotarians we have the chance to do this all the time. Sometimes we need to pack our suitcases full of sanitary pads to help others around the world. Other times, we need to make sure we utilize local resources and create local connections that are sustainable.

What connections/introductions can you make while you are traveling or even just in your hometown to build community buy in and support for living in harmony? Stay tuned for part two of what gorillas and menstrual pads have in common…

*By the way, Jen Remme is from Minnesota and is one of Global Travelers newest members! Be sure to ask her about The Njjuba Project. And, the connections keep on going.