Young girls in rural areas are exposed to harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriages which make the school going ones miss classes due to lack of necessities such as sanitary pads especially during their menstruation cycle.
At the same set up, they have limited access to social services, job opportunities and even education but considering that the areas are endowed with plenty resources, building skills for women and girls can help them achieve their potential.
According to recent Plan International statistics, in Tharaka Nithi for instance, the prevalence rate of FGM in Tharaka constituency and lower parts of Chuka Igambang’ombe stands at 47 percent meaning that 5 girls out of 10 have gone through the cut.
It is from the urge to empower women and girls that three ladies from the county registered a Community Based Organization ‘Educate A Rural Girl’ to academically support extremely needy girls and empowering talented women.
Ms Immaculate Kathomi, Sally Kimathi and Stella Muthungu working with 30 volunteers have since February this year managed to supply 63 girls of Ntumbara Primary school in Igambang’ombe Sub County with sanitary pads among other personal effects last term.
The trio notes that ensuring girls have access to quality education and women have decent work will boost the county’s economy and nation at large.
The team has been working together with various primary schools in sensitizing the girls on menstrual health and encouraging secondary school girls to take Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses just like the boys.
“Our aim is to have the rural girls in school and sensitizing them on menstrual health,” Ms Kimathi recently told the Press Point in Chuka town.
She said they were also working with children offices and police in protecting the girl child from exploitation and ensuring that they are not forced to go through FGM.
“There is still a lot that needs to be done to eliminate the non-beneficial cultural practices,” Ms Muthungu said.
Groups’ empowerment
The trio have been working with various women groups including the Kaumo Mugirirwa in producing various banana products such as flour.
After bringing them on board, the talented women are equipped with various skills and thereafter helped to find better market for their produce.
The ladies have been producing the banana flour on small scale and have plans of diversifying to be producing in large volumes to supply the local supermarkets and shops.
In making the flour, one is required to first peel the outer cover consisting of fibres, clean and cut it into small circular shapes then with help of a solar drier, dry them for four hours.
They are then taken to milling machine and grounded into flour that can be mixed with that of sorghum and millet to make what they termed as very tasty porridge that is nutritious for children.
“We are looking forward to branding the flour and introducing it in the supermarkets to be able to raise money for our operational costs,” she said noting that one kilogram goes at Sh200.
Bags
The women, as a way of conserving the environment, have been making traditional bags and doormats from banana stem fibres as the ladies help them sell the products.
“The bags serve as alternative to banned plastic bags and are durable,”
We look forward to making cheaper pads from the banana fibres that can also be used by the girls under the program, Ms Kathomi noted.
She said after procuring fibre extracting equipment, they will first embark on training the women on making the reusable pads for them to earn a living from the business.
“The sanitary pads and towels after standardization will be available locally and we will issue them to the girls in the rural areas,” she said adding that they were committed to helping the rural women avail produce to market.
They team lauded the county government for organizing the recent Innovation fair that they said made them meet prospective partners and gave them a free platform to showcase their business ideas.
“If we are funded, it will be so easy to make the pads and sell them locally and nationally thereby boosting the economy,” Ms Muthungu stressed.
The ladies have called on the County Women Representative Beatrice Nkatha to financially support them in the noble course.
