To school every day

Period poverty

Sanitary towels are expensive, and like the physical discomfort itself, the costs recur every month. As a result, many girls and women in Kenya cannot afford hygiene products and resort to alternatives that do not always protect very well. These solutions often leak through, putting the girls and women in embarrassing situations. As a result, they structurally miss school for several days a month. They fall behind and sometimes even drop out of school altogether. Or they go out on the streets to earn money to buy sanitary towels, where they risk falling into bad hands, resulting in drug abuse, rape or an unwanted pregnancy.

An affordable and sustainable solution

The Empower Together Kenya foundation offers an alternative. Jenny Zondag of Empower Together Kenya teaches girls to make their own washable and reusable sanitary pads so they can always go to school. In January 2023, Jenny visited the Brothers CMM’s Oyugis Integrated Project (OIP) in Kenya. Part of OIP is Shirikisho Crafts, a vocational school where young people (especially girls) learn a craft to earn a living. Currently there is a tailoring workshop and a hairdressing school.

Powergirls

Empower Together Kenya believes in the power of these girls. Already during the workshops, their enthusiasm about this idea is evident, and they are determined to share the knowledge gained with other girls. People from the school and hospital in the immediate area also come to take a look. They are interested in the product, and the girls of Shirikisho Crafts immediately see opportunities not only to make the reusable sanitary pads for themselves, but also to start selling them. Those girls are going to be just fine.