A Community-Based Organization (CBO) operating in Kisumu County is set to install sanitary pad booths in selected schools as part of efforts to retain girls in learning institutions during their menstrual cycles.
The organization, known as Winam Truevine Community-Based Organization, has already adopted Kondele Comprehensive School, where the first batch of sanitary pad booths will be installed.
The organization’s founder and director, Winter Ogacho, said the pilot project will later be rolled out to other schools in Kisumu Central Constituency.
Ogacho said the initiative aims to keep girls in school during their menstrual periods and reduce absenteeism associated with lack of access to sanitary products.
Speaking at Kondele Comprehensive School during the distribution of sanitary pads, she noted that the booths would help fight stigma and improve the confidence of girls during their menstrual cycles.
Call for wider access to sanitary products
Ogacho pointed out that condoms are readily available in health facilities and public places, yet sanitary pads remain inaccessible to many girls and women.
“It is time the government starts distributing sanitary pads in public places the way it is done for condoms,” she said.
Kondele Comprehensive School Headteacher Evans Dola lauded the organization’s intervention, describing it as a step in the right direction.
Dola said many girls face challenges during their menstrual periods, forcing some to use improvised materials such as old clothes and leaves, which are often unhygienic.
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The event was marked by excitement as girls at the school received sanitary pads donated by the organization, with stakeholders expressing hope that the initiative will improve school attendance, dignity, and learning outcomes among girls.
By Fredrick Odiero
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