Activists call for mainstreaming of menstrual hygiene

Homa Bay,

Thursday, October 12, 2023

KNA by Davis Langat

Gender activists in Homa Bay County have called for mainstreaming of menstrual hygiene in the Kenyan education curriculum. 

 Officials of Chief Ajwang Foundation expressed concern that failure to teach girls hygiene during their menses could lead to infections. The officials said some teenage girls missed school because of inability to handle their menses. 

 Foundation mentor Vidah Achieng expressed concerns that most school going children lacked knowledge about the biological changes during adolescence including menstrual cycles. "Most girls are not aware of what is happening to them at adolescence stage. So the Ministry of Education should step up and teach them about the changes in their bodies," Achieng said.

 She said the foundation was distributing sanitary pads to school girls from vulnerable families. Achieng noted that infections associated with poor menstrual hygiene could lead to discomfort and force girls to skip classes. 

 Achieng said they discovered that some girls especially from rural areas do not know how to use sanitary towels which compromised their hygiene. She added that some have ended up being discriminated against thus leading to low self-esteem. 

 "We should all put in efforts to provide sanitary pads to vulnerable girls to prevent cases of sex pests taking advantage of their vulnerability," she said.

 The activists made the remarks during the marking of the International Day of the Girl Child on Wednesday, October 11. Echo Network Africa Chief Executive Officer Jenipher Riria said women must be accorded equal rights as men and that they deserved to live a dignified life.

 “It's regrettable that our girls are still being subjected to painful and dehumanizing cultural practices such as FGM. Remuneration disparities still persist with women taking home less for performing similar jobs as men," she noted. 

 Riria added that the contribution women make doing unpaid work like being home makers remains under-recognized and unrewarded. 

 She said women were still struggling to access clean water and affordable health care and were confronted by the triple threat of HIV and other STDs, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence. 

 “I urge all of us to do what we can in our individual and collective capacities to change the lives of our girls for the better. We must make a commitment to transform the lives of all girls in Africa,” she said. 

 Ms. Violet Antonio, a counselor at the foundation said they were mentoring the girls to overcome social challenges associated with stress and behaviours that interfered with girls’ education.

 “Our aim is to see girls focus on their studies. There are people who prey on vulnerable girls but we want the vice to stop," she said.

The counseling the girls are taken through includes refraining from sex at an early age, avoiding early marriages, benefits of education and general sex education.

Foundation coordinator Pacific Loch said their programme is also meant to reduce HIV infection among adolescents. 

Courtesy; KNA