Irise Institute East Africa

irise institute east africa (iiea) is a registered non-governmental national women’s rights organization established in 2016 with offices in jinja and kampala, uganda. iiea was established by young women in response to the often-invisible challenges they face because of “period poverty” which ultimately makes the majority of underprivileged girls miss out on education, productive economic opportunities, and life quality because their needs are unmet. iiea focuses on the root cause of period inequality, the negative norms that surround being female that limit the lives and leadership of girls and young women, perpetuating a cycle of exclusion. iiea hosts and coordinates the period equality network (tpen), a loose coalition of grassroots organizations working on menstrual health across east africa, with current membership of 95 organizations from burundi, kenya, rwanda, tanzania, and uganda. iiea's work focuses on five thematic areas and these include: 1. access to comprehensive menstru