Menstrual Hygiene Access and Choice for Girls

For many adolescent girls in Kenya, Menstrual Hygiene Management(MHM) remains to be a major challenge. The main causes are poverty, the myths and misconceptions among the communities surrounding menstruation, inadequate sexual health education, and poor sanitation facilities. These barriers to adequate menstrual hygiene management create adverse consequences for Kenyan girls, including infections, poor mental well-being, increased sexual activity, decreased education attainment, and gender inequality. In 2014, only 50% of Kenyan women and girls reported that they openly discuss menstruation at home, and only 12% of girls said that they would be comfortable receiving menstrual information from their mothers. There is also a gap in Kenyan girls’ knowledge, as evidenced by the fact that 1 in 4 Kenyan girls do not associate menstruation with the potential to become pregnant.

The link between MHM and girls’ future economic status cannot be underestimated. The time lost when girls miss school for lack of sanitary materials during their periods leads to low performance, thereby limiting their chances of transitioning to higher institution of learning. This in turn means they cannot pursue career paths that will enhance their economic status and that of their families. On average, a pack of sanitary materials that is required for a girl per month is about half a dollar. In a country, where most families live below the poverty line, the access of the girls to these vital materials is not guaranteed.

WISER MHM interventions ensures that girls are retained in school, are not exposed to transactional sex, urinary tract infections and their self-esteem is enhanced. WISER provides a variety of sanitary materials including menstrual cups, re-usable pads, disposable pads and menstrual pads giving the girls an opportunity to choose what materials work for them. In addition, WISER ensures that the right information is disseminated to the girls and their families thereby addressing cultural barriers associated with MHM. During this period, WISER was able to reach over 2100 adolescents with MHM education and distribute 1200 sanitary materials.  This translates to about 60,000 school days saved. As the girls celebrated the International Day of the Girls, they spoke passionately on why MHM must be a priority and challenged the government to actualize its promise of ensuring that every girl is able to access sanitary materials.

Consequently, your support addresses a major gap in the girls well-being increasing their chances of breaking the poverty cycle and being change makers in their communities. Thank you for securing their future!