Little pad making a big difference

While addressing the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said, “…We must invest in women and girls. When we empower women, we empower Africa. Let us make sure that girls stay in school, and that this generation can complete secondary education.”

Yet a study conducted by the Federation of African Women Educationists (FAWE) in 2005 found that approximately 500,000 girls in Kenya miss school every month because they cannot afford sanitary protection.

Then, in 2008, Proctor & Gamble, the distributors of Always sanitary towels, partnered with the Girl Child Network (GCN), a local NGO, in a project to provide free disposable sanitary towels to 15,000 girls from more than 180 schools around the country.

The company then conducted a survey to assess the impact of the project. Schools covered by the project confirmed that the girls had been able to attend school even during their menses,” according to its external relations manager, Bob Okello.

“They were also able to concentrate better in class and get better grades because they felt more confident and able to understand and appreciate the changes taking place in their bodies.”

Studies conducted over the years by the Forum for African Women Educationalists-Kenya (FAWE-K) show that most Kenyan societies have no system for preparing girls for their first period since the topic is still not publicly discussed.

“For most of the younger girls, menstruation comes as a shock and peers seem to be the main source of information,” says Pamela Apiyo, the national coordinator of FAWE-Kenya, adding that the information is often distorted.

“Indeed, from studies we have carried out, up to 71 per cent of school going teenage girls have inadequate knowledge of menstruation and how to manage it,” she notes.

“This has impacted negatively on girls, both psychologically and socially, and thus affects their learning and advancement in education.”

Worse still, girls who lack proper sanitary protection miss between three and four days of school every month.

“So the availability of sanitary pads determines whether or not a girl will remain in school,” Apiyo observes.

Women’s health

Lack of sanitary protection not only affects women’s education, but also their health. Dr Njoki Fernandes, a gynaecologist in Nairobi, says research shows that of the 10 million females in Kenya between the ages of 12 and 50, only 30 per cent use a hygienic sanitary pad.

“Lack of knowledge as well as the cost of pads are cited as two major reasons for lack of usage,” says Fernandes.

She is concerned that most of the unsanitary materials that women use expose them to the danger of infections.