A campaign to improve menstrual health and reduce school absenteeism among girls has been launched in Kisumu County.
The initiative aims to establish sanitary pad banks in public schools to provide emergency menstrual products for learners who need them.
The programme is being implemented by Winam True Vine in partnership with the Grassroots Resilience and Innovation Team (GRIT) and Nyalenda B MCA James Were.
It was launched at St Mary’s Nyalenda Comprehensive School, where more than 400 girls received menstrual hygiene education and sanitary towels.
The organisers plan to set up sanitary pad banks in at least 10 public schools in every ward across Kisumu County.
The facilities will provide sanitary towels to girls who start their periods while at school or cannot afford menstrual products.
Winam True Vine founder Winter Ogacho said a lack of access to sanitary towels remained one of the main reasons some girls missed school.
She said the programme aimed to ensure no learner missed lessons because of menstruation by making sanitary products available in schools.
The initiative is also promoting reusable sanitary pads, which organisers say can last for more than a year and provide a cheaper, environmentally friendly alternative to disposable products.
Each participating school will appoint a student leader to help oversee the distribution of sanitary products alongside teachers.
Ms Ogacho said many families struggled to meet the regular cost of menstrual products, making emergency supplies in schools an important way of keeping girls in class.
She said Winam True Vine had been running school outreach programmes since the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on menstrual hygiene, sexual and reproductive health, life skills and peer pressure.
She appealed to county leaders, development partners and the private sector to support the expansion of the programme to more schools across Kisumu.
GRIT Programme Officer Elizabeth Anyango said the organisation had spent the past two months providing age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education to learners aged between nine and 17 at St Mary’s Nyalenda Comprehensive School.
She said although awareness of menstrual health was improving, many girls still lacked access to sanitary products and reliable information.
Ms Anyango said access to both education and menstrual products was essential to help girls manage their periods safely and continue with their studies.
She also said stigma surrounding menstruation remained a challenge, with some girls resorting to unsafe alternatives because of poverty.
Ms Anyango said sanitary pad banks and reusable pads would help protect girls’ health, restore dignity and reduce disruption to learning.
Leave a comment