#MHDay2023 Every May 28, the international community celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day—a day of advocacy to end period poverty. Two out of three girls in Kenya don’t have access to period products, resulting in one million girls missing an average of four days of school every month. This lack of access is known as “period poverty.” Kenya Works created the Makini Pad Initiative to address this need. Your donations allow us to make quality reusable pad kits and distribute them to tens of thousands of school girls each year. Our team delivers pads along with rights-based menstrual hygiene training for both girls and boys.
This gives girls the information to manage their bodies and rights when they need it most while teaching boys to be allies in girls’ empowerment. Normalizing the discussion of menstruation helps end period stigma and misinformation, a pervasive issue throughout the country. Activities for MH Day 2023 began early in the month when our Homa Bay students gathered to string menstrual bracelets, serving as both an educational and awareness-building tool to end period poverty. Carol and Benjah appeared on two television programs talking about period poverty and dispelling common myths about periods while raising awareness about the need for more menstrual hygiene education and product distribution in Kenyan schools. The team also traveled to Malindi to distribute 1,000 pads to girls in a region with a high prevalence of teen pregnancy and low availability of period products and information. Finally, we also partnered in an advocacy walk in Naromoru and joined Senator Gloria, a prominent government official and girls’ advocate. Periods flow in all months, not just May. Kenya Works is active on this issue throughout the year. We have been producing Makini Pads for nearly a decade, reaching as many girls as possible with this important intervention.