By Betty Luke
Education stakeholders in Isiolo County have called for increased access to menstrual kits to help end menstrual stigma in school-going girls in rural areas.
Led by Isiolo Woman Representative Mumina Bonaya, the leaders said menstruation should be treated as a normal body process and girls be supported to access sanitary kits to ensure they are not lured into having sex for pads.
Ms Bonaya said time had come to normalize conversations regarding menstruation and shun the shame that has always surrounded it.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to normalize conversations around menstrual hygiene to end the shame that is usually associated with it. Failure to speak about it means we view it as a shame,” she said.
The leader called on men to support their wives and daughters in accessing dignity kits without feeling ashamed of it since it was just a normal body process.
“Anytime you go shopping bring along some pads with you. Handle them with confidence because you are not handling an illegal item. Enlighten your daughters that there is no shame in menstruation,” she added.
Ms Bonaya spoke when she distributed 64,500 pieces of sanitary pads to over 8,000 school girls across the county.
Parents Association Chair Ismael Ali Galma hailed the initiative saying it would greatly encourage young girls to continue learning without disruptions as a result of period poverty.
Mr Galma however called on the government to reinstate a regular supply of the items in school to ensure no girl misses school because of having periods.
“The government should take responsibility for ensuring pads are available in every staffroom for learners who come from needy backgrounds. This will ensure they do not miss school because they cannot afford them,” he said.
Research by the World Bank shows that while over 300 million women menstruate daily, 500 million women lack access to proper menstrual products, worldwide.
Reports indicate that about 65 percent of girls and women in Kenya lack proper access to menstruation hygiene products.
