Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Sholei has launched a program meant to distribute sanitary towels to girls in primary and secondary schools across the county.
According to Sholei, the move is geared towards ensuring that the girl child education is not interrupted for lack of the pads.
"The programme will help solve problems experienced by girls from the poor background such as missing out lessons due to monthly periods,” said Sholei after donating sanitary pads to various primary and secondary schools in Uasin Gishu, Friday.
“It is sad that most school going girls have often skipped school days during their monthly periods for fear of stigma that may be caused by lack of proper sanitary pads. We are targeting 2,000 girls between ages 10-21 years,” she added.
The Woman rep reiterated, as a result, many girls miss school during their menses, leading to low grades. Others give up and eventually drop out of school, after which some fall prey to early marriages and pregnancies.
Sholei further noted that there is need to organize health education sessions in schools to educate girls on the importance of menstrual hygiene and demystify menstruation in a bid to fight stigma and discrimination associated with menses.
She said that some cultures still look at menstruation as a taboo while most families, especially in low-income areas and marginalized communities, cannot afford the pads.
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