We will buy sanitary pads and give them to 200 vulnerable girls in a school in the informal settlement of Mathare North, Nairobi, Kenya. The number of girls dropping out of school increase as they have reached puberty. Stigma around menstruation is one of the reasons for this. We give out reusable sanitary pads as well as educate the girls about menstrual health and practices. The objective of this project is to eliminate stigma, educate youth, and keep 50 girls in school.
Challenge
The challenge is that girls are dropping out of school due to lack of sanitary pads, as well as stigma around menstruation. In fact, research done by Build Africa has shown that Kenya has one of the highest number of girls dropping out of school because of this. There is also a knowledge gap, and no teaching about menstruation at school. There are therefore lots of myths, stigma and taboos around menstruation and periods in Kenya.
Solution
By doing outreach at schools, we will perform educational sessions to improve menstruation knowledge, and we will distribute reusable sanitary pads to girls. The reusable sanitary pads are easy to make, and we will also during the session explain how to fabricate them, how to clean them, and how to maintain them. 500 girls will receive sanitary pads during the school visits.
Long-Term Impact
By doing outreaches at schools, we hope to make an impact by changing attitudes. The school pupils will get new knowledge and spread the information to their families and friends. Teachers will learn to effectively integrate menstruation education in their youth work. Girls learn how to make their own sanitary pads, and can fabricate and sell their own. The long-term impact is that more girls will stay in school.
Leave a Reply