Providing girls in rural Kenya with sanitary kits and empowering instruction and mentoring has long been a primary goal of Kenya Keys. In June, we were able to expand our impact by traveling to a new area of Kenya. Grace Kuto, Director of the Chwele Resource and Peace Center in western Kenya, invited Kenya Keys’ teams from the U.S. and eastern Kenya to provide training and materials to the communities they serve.
Caroline, Agnes, and Lydia—three of the SOS (Save Our Sisters) leaders from Taru traveled to Chwele to teach, train, and mentor the girls at Chwele Girls School. They provided sanitary kits to the girls and taught them how to care for the kits, and themselves. They trained the girls to create their own SOS club. They encouraged them to believe in themselves and in their power to enact change.
The girls were thrilled to receive the sanitary kits. Shalom, one of the Chwele girls, wrote: “I can’t thank you enough, for your life experiences have inspired me, and your creativity that enabled you to make sanitary towels has blessed us.” Another girl, Bridgit, said of the SOS mentors, “You were more than sisters — you were our best friends.”
Ruth, another student, spoke for all the girls when she said, “Pray for me as I work smart and hard to raise my own bar and try to walk your ways. Your visit to our school was a true inspiration in our lives.”
One particularly meaningful aspect of this experience was the involvement of the Parkin family from Utah. The Parkins have hosted several sanitary kit sewing projects. They have been instrumental in supplying hundreds of girls with these kits. It has been a dream of theirs to travel to Kenya to work as interns in Kenya Keys’ projects. Angie Parkin describes her family’s experience in Kenya as “absolutely unforgettable.” “Observing the strength, resourcefulness, and resilience of the African women and girls gave us hope for their future,” Angie said. That hope is helped considerably by the provision of sanitary kits, which allow the girls to stay in school, to maintain their dignity, and to feel empowered.
It may seem like a very small thing—to provide a sanitary kit to a girl. But to her, it is no small thing. It removes a significant obstacle from her path so is empowered to achieve her dreams. Thank you for your donation. You are making a difference in the lives of girls in Kenya.
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