Selected Schools across the county of Kisii will receive free sanitary pads in a local project funded by Inuka Africa.
According to Doreen Shine, the Managing director of Inuka Africa, the project is aimed at improving the health status of the students. The project aims to make students more comfortable so that they might better perform in their education.
“The sanitary pad project will be supporting over 1000 local vulnerable girls in primary school in Kisii county hence it will reduce absenteeism, boost the self-esteem of the girls and improve academic performance,” said Shine.
She also added that their organization will more so concentrate on public primary schools which has more children from poor backgrounds and then they would move move to other secondary schools which they feel will have more need for the same.
Shine also added that worse still, schools usually lacked sanitary supplies; proper supplies for girls needing to change sanitary pads, and a disposal system. As a result, learning suffered and girls would to fall behind in their education because of resulting insecurity and low self-confidence setting in.
Currently in Kenya, girls who lack access to effective affordable sanitary pads miss an estimated 45 days or nine weeks of school per year, or even drop out of school altogether, according to a survey by Human Relations Trust.
A box of eight sanitary pads costs 100 shillings For girls who do continue going to school, make-shift pads, such as those made from tissue paper, rags, leaves, and cow dung are uncomfortable and ineffective causing girls to be distressed and distracted.