By Meriba Mwende Micheni | Partnerships and Fundraising Coordinator
Dear Partner,
It has been a purposeful start to the year. Although schools were closed in November and December and we could not conduct distributions during the holidays, your support positioned us to move effectively as soon as learning resumed.
Since reopening, thanks to you, 5,779 students have been trained in Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). These sessions focus on practical, age-appropriate knowledge that directly strengthens school retention. Two core areas we emphasized were:
Why is this training so critical? A 2025 Global Health Study (Andargie & Tinuola) found that when girls in East African schools receive both menstrual health education and sanitary products, their confidence in managing their periods at school increases from 18% to 54%. Confidence directly influences attendance, participation, and long-term retention.
Alongside training, you directly enabled the distribution of annual sanitary packs to 523 girls. Each pack is designed to last an entire school year. For these 523 underserved girls, menstruation will not interrupt their education in 2026. The UNESCO 2024 Gender Report notes that school-based MHM interventions that combine education and supplies can reduce period-related absenteeism by up to 50%. This is exactly the model you are supporting — knowledge paired with access.
This year, we are expanding our reach to 100 schools in the Tharaka zone of Tharaka Nithi County while continuing support in our existing partner schools. Tharaka is a remote, semi-arid region in eastern Kenya where families largely depend on small-scale farming and casual labor. Unpredictable weather and limited household income often make sanitary towels unaffordable, especially for the most vulnerable learners. By targeting 100 schools in this zone, we are intentionally focusing on girls who are most at risk of missing school due to a lack of menstrual supplies.
Through this work, HopeCore continues to advance Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality) — ensuring that a natural biological process does not become a barrier to opportunity.
Because of you, 523 underserved girls no longer have to choose between their education and their menstrual period. Your kindness provided the sanitary towels they needed to stay in the classroom in 2026.
Many of our partnerships began with a simple conversation. If you know someone who believes every girl deserves to stay in school, we would love for you to connect them to this work. We invite you to stay engaged through www.villagehopecore.org, where we share success stories, monthly blogs, podcasts, and major reports. In our next quarterly report, we will share a personal success story from one of the girls whose education continues because of you.
Thank you for keeping 523 girls in school this year. We look forward to sharing our progress in the next quarter.
With Sincere Appreciation,
Meriba Mwende
By Meriba Mwende Micheni | Partnerships and Fundraising Coordinator
By Ann Ngunjiri | Communications Officer
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