Feedback: From sanitary pads to gender parity

What you need to know:

  • Last week’s Woman of Passion was not only informative, but also very inspiring
  • I would like to thank Waceke Nduati Omanga for a job well done on the article on good debt versus bad debt

From sanitary pads to gender parity

Dr Joachim Osur’s article on how lack of sanitary pads is keeping girls from reaching their full potential refers. The article was very touching and highlighted one among many issues affecting many Kenyan children. However, I’d like to point out that there are many approaches being employed to counter this problem.

For example there are initiatives such as the National School Health Policy and the Personal Hygiene and Sanitation Education programme and others being implemented in primary schools. The only problem is that this is being implemented only in some areas while in others the pace of implementation is very slow.

However, the public health department in Nyeri County is in the process of identifying a partner to help us in implementing these projects fully.

Kenneth K. Njuki, public health officer in charge of school health, Nyeri

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I was touched by the way Dr Osur handled the plight of the hapless school girl whose mother did not have money to buy her sanitary pads and undergarments. He went out of his way to get immediate medical treatment for the girl who had an infection as a result of using hot ash during her menstrual period.

This is a very rare but noble gesture.

Rather than being a cold and unfeeling professional he has shown that he has a warm heart. Reading his account, it occurred to me that commercially marketed sanitary towels are a recent phenomenon.

Even before their introduction, women had been managing menstruation well for ages, and I suppose, without any problems. So where did that piece of traditional wisdom go to? Can’t it be retrieved and passed on to our girls to make it easier to manage this natural process?

Maybe we should encourage our women to use recyclable cloth pads in places where people live in abject poverty and cannot afford to buy pads. The government may have good intentions, but it may not be able to provide pads to all schoolgirls in dire need.

We need to think of sustainable ways to stop menstruation from keeping girls from school.

Anto Poruthur, via email

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Back to the drawing board

Last week’s Woman of Passion was not only informative, but also very inspiring. It reminded me that only great passion can take us to places we have never been as far as business is concerned.

Through Jean Mashimba’s story, I learnt that with the right attitude and a great desire to succeed, anything is, indeed, possible.

Young people, especially, need to understand that they can be who they want to be if they follow their hearts. And the good thing is that not having capital is no longer an excuse; the Uwezo Fund is now here and anyone who dreams of starting a business should apply and make his or her dreams come true.

Enock Tarus, via email

Did the herb get an upgrade?

I was happy the Jackson Biko highlighted the hidden lifestyle that some people live. Looks have become more and more deceptive and today you can’t really tell who a person is until you have mingled with her for a while.

Biko was even lucky that the posh NGO woman revealed her true self within hours of their meeting. But reading about his experience left me wondering where men will get wives from in future.

John Kinyanjui Mburu, via email

Mean girls on the Internet
Last weekend’s main feature on how women harass other women on the Internet refers. I wonder why women would engage in such deviant behaviour.

Is this what an information technology revolution is all about? I believe social media and the Internet as a whole should serve a good purpose and not be used by some to traumatise others.

Alnashir D Walji, Nairobi

(READ: Mean girls!)
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How dating makes for happy marriage

The article on keeping the spark in marriage alive through dating refers. I believe in dating as a tool that refreshes marriage.

I have been married to my husband for more than 34 years and we still date. We both enjoy rhumba so we always visit the Vibro Club in Nairobi West, where we dance to our favourite zilizopendwa. We also eat out once a week, especially on Sunday after church.

I can attest that going on dates definitely brings the spice back into marriage and I encourage married couples not to slip into a rut, but to keep dating so that their marriages can remain fresh and vibrant.

Isabel A, via email

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Is your debt working for you?

I would like to thank Waceke Nduati Omanga for a job well done on the article on good debt versus bad debt.

It opened my eyes on how I can use debt to lift myself up rather than drag myself down. Keep up the good work!

Wanyoike Charles, via email

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