Help Keep Girls in School in Rural Kenya

OLCAP has trained five young women from Lukanji Community in Kakamega County in tailoring and reusable pad production to help address unemployment and create sustainable income opportunities.

Through the training, the women have gained practical skills in sketching, measuring, cutting fabric, operating sewing machines, and sewing a range of items including dresses, skirts, trousers, school uniforms, and reusable sanitary pads. They have also learned essential business skills such as basic budgeting, marketing, product packaging, and simple business planning.

After months of practice and hands-on production, the women have now perfected their pad-making skills and are ready to begin producing reusable menstrual pads for schoolgirls in their community.

The next phase of the project is to begin producing menstrual hygiene kits for girls in local schools. Our initial goal is to produce reusable pads for 500 schoolgirls, helping ensure they have reliable menstrual protection so they can stay in school during their monthly periods.

Christine is one of the five women who completed the training. A year ago, she had no job and no reliable income. Today, she has valuable tailoring and pad-making skills and is ready to begin producing reusable pads that will both support her livelihood and benefit girls in her community.

To begin production, the women now require funding to purchase the necessary materials, including absorbent fabric, waterproof backing, thread, snaps, and packaging supplies. With this support, they will be able to start producing pads for the first 500 girls while generating income through their new skills.

By producing affordable reusable pads locally, this project will create employment opportunities for the trained women while improving menstrual hygiene management and supporting girls’ education.

We are grateful to all supporters who have contributed so far. With additional funding, we can purchase materials and begin producing reusable pads for the first 500 schoolgirls in our community.

Links:

• Search for the project on Google.
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The Organization of Local Communities Against Poverty (OLCAP) is excited to provide an update on our project in Kakamega County, which supports girls’ education by supplying reusable sanitary pads.

Through OLCAP’s partnership with iMPACT direct, five young women have successfully completed training in tailoring and reusable sanitary pad production. The women learned to design, measure, cut, and stitch washable, comfortable, and eco-friendly pads that meet the needs of schoolgirls.

Under the guidance of an experienced instructor, each trainee mastered the full production process, from material selection to quality control, and can now independently produce reusable pads. This initiative has provided these women with valuable skills and confidence, setting the stage for both economic empowerment and social impact.

The women are ready to start making reusable pads for girls. 

Funds raised will:

• Enable local production of reusable sanitary pads, providing an ongoing source of income for the five women.
• Support distribution of free pads to schoolgirls, ensuring they don’t miss class during their menstrual periods.

Every contribution helps break the cycle of poverty and school absenteeism caused by lack of menstrual hygiene kits.

Your support can help keep girls in school, and empower women to build brighter, sustainable futures for their families.

Links:

• Search for us on Google