By Dorothy Musyoka
In Kenya, like many parts of the world, menstrual hygiene management poses a significant challenge for young girls, particularly in the context of education.
“Access to sanitary towels is a big challenge for many girls who come from poor families in Kenya with UNESCO estimating that around half of all school-age girls do not have access to sanitary pads,” stated the Department for Gender and Affirmative Action.
However, sustaining such programs requires continuous effort and resources. To bolster these efforts and ensure that every girl has access to sanitary products so as to stay in school, the United States government stepped in with a generous donation.
Through collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Education, the US government donated 85,000 packets of sanitary towels to complement the existing government Sanitary Towels program in retaining female learners in school during their menstrual cycles.
The sanitary program aims to provide all school girls with sanitary towels so as to minimize absenteeism and put them at par with their male counterparts.
It is estimated that girls from poor families miss 20% of school days each year due to lack of sanitary products.
The donation which is in alignment with the international world menstrual hygiene day was received by Basic Education Principal Secretary, Dr.Belio Kipsang at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development headquarters.
As the world marked the day to break the myths around the menstrual cycle, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, Ms. Anne Wang’ombe said the donation was symbolic as the world is marking Menstrual Hygiene Day.
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to promoting gender equality in education and addressing the systemic challenges that hinder girls’ access to schooling.
Dr. Kipsang thanked the US government for the support adding that by providing essential menstrual hygiene products, the donation will alleviate the financial burden on families and empower girls to pursue their education without interruption
“The donation will help enable female learners in Kenyan Primary schools to maintain menstrual hygiene, thereby learning without disruption,” noted Dr.Kipsang.
The Sanitary Towels programme for girls in public schools was first launched in 2011 under the Ministry of Education which has been procuring and distributing sanitary towels to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.