WPL clubs to get sanitary towels

Kenya international Johanna Omolo (left) shakes hands with Kenya Footballers’ Welfare Association (KEFWA) Secretary General Jerry Santos after signing a partnership to facilitate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) sessions and distribute sanitary towels to women football clubs monthly. PHOTO | COURTESY |

By  Teresa Calleb Ouko

What you need to know:

  • This comes after most women teams KEFWA visited raised the issue of inadequate sanitary towels, especially during match days.
  • “We are grateful to Johanna Omolo Foundation for the superb gesture, as the initiative will ensure that our members’ challenges are tackled as we look for long-term and sustainable avenues,” said KEFWA Secretary General Jerry Santos.

The Kenya Footballers’ Welfare Association (KEFWA) has partnered with Dandora-based Johana Omolo Foundation to facilitate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) sessions and distribute sanitary towels to women football clubs monthly.

The move, which will start this month, is aimed to increase female participation in football,

Kenya Women's Premier League side SEP Oyugis FC player Rael Kamanda admits that menstruation poses a challenge not only for young players, who are on their first cycle, but also experienced players that would never want to be ridiculed by the others if they find out, which is mostly by looking at their stained clothes.

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Period shame

“Football is a physical sport and in as much as I have been around for a while now, period shame is something all of us feel at some point. If I was wearing white shorts during a football match, I would be so uncomfortable if I did not have proper sanitary towels on as not everyone can afford pads and will go for old rugs or tissue papers.

This is why most of us will go to someone we are comfortable with and keep asking them to check if we have stained our kits, if the response is yes, then we are totally out of the game and that means we become a liability to the team,” Kamanda explained.

Belgium-based and FIFPRO 2019 player of the year Omolo believes that women football is destined for greatness and he would like to contribute to their success.

Support

”We have seen how well our women’s teams have been performing in the regional stage and this shows they have potential to replicate that in the continental stage. As Johanna Omolo Foundation, it would be an honour to support our local women’s league by offering sanitary towels to all teams and encourage more women to play the game,” Omolo said.

This comes after most women teams KEFWA visited raised the issue of inadequate sanitary towels, especially during match days.

“We are grateful to Johanna Omolo Foundation for the superb gesture, as the initiative will ensure that our members’ challenges are tackled as we look for long-term and sustainable avenues,” said KEFWA Secretary General Jerry Santos.

Besides the MHM project, KEFWA is working on an array of activities including the Monthly “Players for players’ award” which will roll out in March.

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