By Education News Reporter
Ten girls miss school for four days in nine months due to lack of sanitary towels as per a report by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
It says that many girls in West Pokot County and other remote areas experience hardship as it is hard for them to obtain sanitary towels, a challenge that affects their education negatively and dampens their morale.
Speaking on Tuesday in Kapenguria during a reproductive health program meeting, Declares Inspiration Group Executive Director Jefferson Mudaki said that sanitary towels were a necessity especially for girls in remote areas
Mr. Mudaki urged the government and local leaders to put up measures that will help girls in pastoral areas get sanitary towels in order to enable them go to school during their menses.
“Many girls stay at home because they lack sanitary towels .We as leaders must intervene to make sure that we address this problem,” said Mr. Mudaki.
The Director said that many parents in the area did not know the importance of sanitary towels while other parents simply could not afford them.
“Many parents are illiterate hence do not understand the importance of sanitary towels .The national and county government should chip in and create awareness campaigns,” he said.
Pendo Africa Executive Director Faith Tanui called on the county government to set aside funds for buying sanitary towels and distribute them to girls’ schools as they cannot manage their periods safely and with dignity, leading to stigma.
She said that many schools in the county are mixed schools further intensifying the girls’ fear to go to school during their period days in addition to the long distances involved while looking for shops that have stocked the towels.
“In many areas you can travel over 50 kilometers without coming across a shop that sells sanitary towels. This has discouraged many girls from attending school during their affected days. Provision of pads will enable them to stay in school and boost their self-esteem. We are passionate about empowering young people through mentorship, integrating teenage mothers back to school and rehabilitation,” said Ms. Tanui.
The Director stated that they were also geared towards dispelling myths about the menstruation topic which is still regarded as taboo in the area.
“The girls opt to hide during this time. We want to demystify the taboo status and clarify that it is normal and they should not feel ashamed,” she said.
She said that financial difficulties, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic made it even harder for the women and girls in remote areas to access sanitary towels.
However, Ms. Tanui said that the organization had embarked on providing essential training in menstrual hygiene and creating awareness about the importance of proactively managing one’s reproductive health in order to stay in school.
“There is hope and we shall work out solutions for you. We emphasize on menstrual hygiene and encourage girls not to go to other businesses or leave school because of menstrual health,” she said.
She noted that they targeted to donate 3,000 pads to school girls and in the same breath, encouraged girls to avoid dealing with Boda boda riders who took advantage of them to offer them pads in exchange for sex.
