Washable sanitary pads giving Turkana schoolgirls reasons to smile

Abject poverty in Turkana County has been a major challenge contributing to schoolgirls' absenteeism during menstruation.

County menstrual hygiene champion Rael Akoru notes that the single-use sanitary towels donated by well-wishers or offered through government programmes have not been reliable.

“Parents would rather spend the money they get on food than buy sanitary towels for their girls. Such girls would rather be away from class than be embarrassed during menstruation,” she says.

Also read: Call to set up sanitary pad dispensers in schools

In remote villages like Kibish along the Kenya-Ethiopia border, where shops always prioritise food items, it has been a challenge to well-wishers who seek to donate single-use sanitary towels.

“In such circumstances, girls use torn clothes and goat skins as substitutes if they have to be in class and those not in school sit on the sand on dry river beds.”

Ms Akoru says another challenge has been lack of panties to comfortably hold the pads, noting that besides schoolchildren, poor women can't afford the pads and resort to sex for cash to be able to buy hygiene products.

Rescue

On this backdrop, an organisation has launched a programme to fix the problem. The Church Mission Network is donating washable sanitary towels that can last for five years when well taken care of.

The network’s representative, Mr Tony Otiato, says the programme has been rolled out at an opportune time when teenage girls in primary and secondary schools are about to reopen for a new academic year.

“We have kicked off the distribution of washable sanitary towels that are in a kit of four pads to adolescent girls at Natapar Kakono, Nakwamekwi and Kanam Kemer. The girls only need to wash them after use and they should not share,” he says.

Mr Otiato terms it a relief for parents, most of whom struggle to get food and learning materials for their daughters. He notes that such struggles were a catalyst for child marriages as parents opted to marry off their daughters as a solution.

Also read: Menstrual health: Breaking the silence on menstrual struggle

“Those opting to marry off their daughters at an early age should know, if the marriage doesn’t work, the girls will still trace their homes. Parents should ensure their girls go to school and support them to realise their dreams.”

Nineteen-year-old Yvonne Akal, a beneficiary, says that despite a well-wisher paying fees for her tertiary education, she always felt ashamed to ask for sanitary towels whenever she ran out of the products.

“Washable sanitary towels have come in handy as whenever I don't have the single-use pads, I am sorted. I can't be a victim of transactional sex. I am assured that I will graduate without challenges of menstrual hygiene.”

Secondary school girls who benefit from the support say they already have one of the basic requirements they need to fully concentrate in class.

[email protected]