By Tony Wafula
School going girls in Bungoma County have a reason to smile after a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) issued them with sanitary pads in an ongoing initiative that targets teenage girls in the community.
Collins Kibet, an advocacy coordinator at Amref health Africa in Bungoma county, said that the
move seeks to help school going girls who encounter challenges during their menstruation period and are at times forced to seek help from men who take advantage of them.
‘I started this exercise so that girls who are unable to get sanitary towels can easily access them,’ he said and added that parents should support their children and guide them accordingly.
Kibet added that he has ensured that girls get appropriate dignity kits that will enable them continue with their studies uninterrupted. Each kit consists of a towel, soap, body oil and sanitary pads.
During the distribution exercise, 400 kits were issued to pupils and students drawn from the nine sub-counties in Bungoma county.
“This is just the beginning of our dignity kits distribution exercise. We will be extending it to other places,” Kibet revealed adding that Amref Health Africa has partnered with the education sector, Bungoma youth organizations and the Ministry of Health to ensure that school going girls are catered for.
Bungoma West deputy county commissioner Henry Katana urged parents to report cases of defilement to the relevant authorities so that action is taken.
“Bungoma West and Mt. Elgon have recorded very high numbers of teenage pregnancy cases in the past. I believe that through these wonderful engagements with different organizations, we will be able to stem them,” Katana noted.
