On Friday the 30th of April, I joined Nawiri Sisters Foundation in a pad donation drive at St.Aloysius Gonzaga. We were also aiming at conducting informal interviews with adolescent girls at the school on menstruation matters.
We arrived there at 10am, and started setting up and in about ten minutes we were ready to start interviewing the girls from the Langata community.
The girls’ daily experiences in menstruation was clearer when I interacted with most of them. I learnt that some of them relied heavily on donors and well wishers for sanitary towels and some lacked them completely especially when they begin their monthly menstruation cycles. Some of the girls said they would seek other alternatives, which are unsafe, to manage their periods. Some girls lack proper access to water, they depend on the school to provide water for their domestic use.
They would go through so much because of menses, they would be stigmatized and laughed at by some members of the community. They would be referred to as a ‘curse’ as they are “dirty”. During the interviews, I learnt that some of the girls who had begun their menstrual cycles lacked information on menstruation, therefore, managing their menstrual health and hygiene was a major difficulty.
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From their narrations, I also learnt the huge impact some taboos in which these girls were engulfed in. They mentioned that when in periods, they are not allowed to sit next to men/boys nor go to church or mosque.
Some were also sent away from their homes upon beginning their menstrual cycles because their parents and guardians deem them mature and grown, therefore, they cannot share the same roof with the parents. Some girls were afraid to talk about menses because it is a taboo while some believed that menstruation is too sensitive to be discussed or talked about in public.
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A key highlight of the day was when the girls rose beyond their challenges to propose a project and named it ‘Ladies of Purpose’. Later in the day we went to Madaraka primary where one girl narrated how she avoids disturbance and attention from boys around her. She wears Mutambara (ragged clothes) because the boys would find her unattractive and leave her alone. She said that only the good looking girls are harassed.
The girls at Madaraka Primary proposed a business project and named it ‘Lexus Bakers’. They will be baking pastries like cakes, mandazis and chapatis.
I also learnt of a few girls who miss out on school when they get their menses because of lack of knowledge on how to handle it while some miss school or even drop out because they lack menstrual management things like sanitary towels. However, I am glad that Nawiri Sisters Foundation is working towards changing this narrative by restoring dignity to these girls.
WE ARE NAWIRI.