Education stakeholders from Bungoma county have expressed concern about period poverty that stops many girls from attending school during their monthly periods.
In an interview with Education News, Nalondo CBM National Secondary School for the Physically Handicapped Principal Walter Kwanusu noted that disabled girls go through a lot of challenges during their monthly periods.
He stated that support in form of sanitary towels provision from both the government and well-wishers is rare, further calling upon the government to allocate funds for the supply of sanitary pads to schools.
“Women and girls from poor backgrounds still have a challenge in accessing clean sanitary towels. Even as the world celebrates World Menstrual Day, organizations and individuals interested in the issue should come on board to support the girls,” he said.
He revealed that his school has a sanitary pads kitty where teachers contribute money for the sole purpose of buying sanitary pads for the girls.
He partly attributed absenteeism to lack of sanitary towels, adding that most girls feel ashamed when someone realizes that they are on their periods.
To address the shame and fear among the girls, Kwanusu affirmed that he has put in place a strong guidance and counseling department to guide the girls about menstruation hygiene.
Speaking while distributing sanitary towels to 188 girls at the institution, Rainbow Room Foundation Programs Manager Catherine Moragwa said that they picked the school because girls living with disability go through a lot of challenges during their monthly periods.
Moragwa added that her organization has a teen peer mentorship programme that teaches school going girls about reproductive health.
Meanwhile Bungoma senator Wafula Wakoli, who was speaking at Matulo Secondary School during the World Menstrual Day Celebrations, said he fully supports Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba’s sanitary towel provision bill which seeks to end period poverty through free sanitary towels provision to all school girls and prisoners.
By Tony Wafula
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