Hygiene
As the world commemorated World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Homa Bay County has intensified its collaborative efforts with various partners to enhance menstrual sanitation for girls. This initiative aims to address the high rates of early teenage pregnancies in the region by improving menstrual hygiene management.
The theme of this day in the year 2024 was ‘together for a period friendly world’. During the commemoration of the day at Kotieno Primary School in Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Sarah Malit, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Gender, emphasized the vital link between menstrual health and the prevention of adolescent pregnancies.
She added that the main aim of this was to empower schoolgirls and curb school dropout rates by distribution of sanitary disposable towels. Malit said that they were also offering mentorship programs for the girls to improve education standards. “This also helps to know the challenges that the girls face during the menstrual process such as lack of enough sanitary towels and stigmatization during menstruation,” she said.
She said it was regrettable that sex pests took advantage of vulnerability of girls during menstruation by buying them the pads in exchange for sex. Leah Ongaya, an official from Top Health International Suez organization said that they are reaching out to young girls to help them in combating early pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and other challenges facing girls.
The campaign seeks to promote education on menstrual hygiene and provide access to necessary sanitary products, recognizing these measures as crucial for the well-being of girls.