One Girl,One Pad, One sucess story at a time!

We are seated under a tree shielding us from the blistering sun in Muthale Primary School in Kitui. Monica smiles confidently as we start our conversation on a bench.  She is holding 3 packs of sanitary pads received from Mfariji Africa team. She started her menstruation one year ago when she was aged 12 and a class 7 student. “The first time it happened i was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I became withdrawn, quiet and scared. My mum realized something was wrong. I was disgusted with myself due to the continuous bleeding. I missed my classes for a whole week”, She says.

Monica grew up without any detailed knowledge on menstruation. Since she comes from a poor family it was so difficult for her to get regular sanitary pads to sustain her monthly needs. “My parents barely make enough to sustain my siblings and I, this makes it difficult to even ask them for sanitary pads which looks like a secondary need. Most times I am forced to use a piece of mattress or cloth. I do house chores most of the time at home like fetching water, cooking and fetching firewood”, She added. “Missing 5 days of school a month has greatly affected my performance. my grades were lower, since I had to stay at home while other classmates especially boys were busy schooling”, She says.

Mfariji Africa programs are a big rescue to her and more girls. “Since Mfariji Africa started their programs in our school, my life has never been the same again. They have provided me with regular monthly sanitary pads. I no longer miss my classes! You cannot imagine, my grades are now higher and I am even able to show other girls how to use the sanitary pads. I am so confident that I will achieve my dreams” Said a smiling Monica.

Monica is in a school among the 10 which are part of our programs in Kitui County.These schools are located in a semi-arid area and poverty stricken region where most parents prioritize boys’ education over girls. In addition, they lack enough resources to cater for the girl child needs for example buying sanitary towels for them. We execute our programs to fill the gap and ensure more girls have chances to attend their classes.

So far so good we have reached over 3,500 girls by providing them with Sanitary towels and training sessions geared to leadership. This is a big milestone towards the achievement of their studies.

We are championing for Sustainable Development Goals; Quality education and gender equality; goal number 4 and goal number 5 respectively. From the results, we have seen the future definitely looks bright! Thanks to you for making it possible.