Did you know that 65% of women and girls in Kenya can not afford sanitary towels? The Menstrual Hygiene Day(a global advocacy platform for non-profit organisations and government agencies aimed at promoting menstrual health) reports that in Kenya, only 50% of girls openly discuss menstruation at home.
Since its inception in October 2019, Nawiri Sisters Foundation has made several strides in fighting shame and restoring dignity to adolescent girls through mentorship and provision of sanitary towels.
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.
The Foundation employs the Hadhi (dignity) Triangle, a concept that brings together adolescent girls in institutions and pairs them with a youth mentor (university students) from the region and stakeholders (teachers, parents, partners, donors and the community). Through this collaboration, the Foundation is keen to address period stigma among adolescent girls through creating awareness, providing information and establishing a counter-narrative to that of taboos, myths and stigma around menstruation, while providing menstrual health materials.
As of June 2021, the Foundation has managed to provide over 35,000 sanitary towels to over 1000 adolescent girls in Madaraka Primary School(Madaraka), Ngei Primary School(Langata), St.Aloysius Gonzaga(Langata), Baraka za Ibrahim children center(Kibera), Lea Learning centre(Mathare), Langata Stable Livelihoods Welfare Community, Karura and Muringa Community.
With COVID-19 came a myriad of social, financial and psychological challenges to the global society. The Foundation’s boldness and resilience was put to test but it stayed determined and committed to its vision, to eradicate period stigma in Africa. The pandemic has also seen the Foundation extending its service to the community by conducting food drives for 107 Kenyan families and 3 children’s homes.
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.
Kenya has made strides in investing in the lives of adolescent girls by prioritizing menstrual health in the nation, for example through the formulation of Kenya’s first Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy.Nevertheless there are gaps in knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about menstruation that are evidenced by instances such as the reported case of 14-year-old Jackline Chepngeno from Bomet, who committed suicide in September 2019 after being shamed by her female teacher when her periods began.
The Foundation has developed an initiative dubbed “Adopt A Girl'', through which donors are encouraged to contribute funds for purchasing sanitary towels that are donated to girls in Nawiri’s partner institutions and communities. The initiative offers options for donations: Wazi package(any amount), Ruabe package(USD 2 per month) and Mwaka package(USD 24 per year).
To adopt a girl, donate to:
Safaricom Till Number: 5852611
WE ARE NAWIRI.
