By Erick Nyayiera
Poverty has no limits and it can make people, especially poor rural communities revert to the most desperate measures to meet their expectations.
That has emerged to be the reason why mothers in Rarieda, Siaya County are borrowing donated sanitary towels from their young primary school going daughters.
High poverty levels in the area, complicated further by the Covid -19 pandemic have left many families poor and hungry.
The situation is now so dire that the girls have been forced to share the pads donated by non- governmental organizations with their mothers.
Affected girls told Rafiki ya Maendeleo Trust Education Support Programs Officer Pauline Ambrose in Rarieda that they were sharing the towels with their mothers.
They are among community based organizations that pay for the girl’s school fees bursary, donate sanitary towels and soap and inner pants among other necessities.
“Shockingly what the girls tell us is that they have always shared the sanitary pads with their mothers and it’s something we have to deal with,” said Ambrose.
The parents can’ afford to buy basic commodities for their children because they rely on menial work with low pay.
The programmes officer said sex pests have taken advantage of their poor status to prey on the girls for sex.
Ambrose’s NGO has also adopted the ‘Safe Space methodology’ a community initiative used to ensure no school girl dropped out of school when schools reopened.
It was started when school closed in March 2020 to bring the girls together to be taught life skills, sexuality, menstrual health and hygiene.
The Safe Spaces are created at their homes where they come together and get engaged to protect them from bad habits.
All girls in the program have resumed school because no teen pregnancy or early marriage was reported among them.
“We do life skills training and leadership training to enable the girls champion issues affecting them to their peers.
“We also have the concept of creative arts and basic agriculture where they are able to get pocket money,” said Ambrose.
Director Rafiki ya Maendeleo Otieno Ombok appealed to the County Government leadership to provide spaces where youths can exploit their talents.
Ombok said the girls’ empowerment program is aimed at supporting vulnerable children not drop out of school and to perform better.
“Emphasis in managing adolescents must include body, physical and social development of the girl child and that includes managing insecurity that accompany body development and negative pressure from peers and adults,” said Ombok.
He explained that the negative pressure is associated to poverty where men who can afford food, cloths, phones take advantage of the young girls.
He regretted that the youths are struggling to get spaces for sports and other creative ventures a factor that has made them exposed to drug and substance abuse.
“It’s important that adolescents are kept busy and made to do what they like to give them joy,” said Ombok.
A beneficiary of the programme Mary Ruth Akinyi, a form 1 student at Mbaga Girls High School in Siaya County said the experience has helped her a lot in relating with her peers.
She is a peer counselor and has been instrumental in talking to girls facing challenges.
Florence Awuor, a form three student at Lugulu Girls in Bungoma County thanked the community for the initiative.
She appealed to her peers to take the advantage of their time in school and shape their future which will help lift their families out of poverty.
The bursary support program covers vulnerable children in secondary schools, universities, and colleges.
