Kibera: This is why government needs to provide pads in schools

By Kevin Oduor

Photo by Tuko News

One of the largest slums in the world, mud-walled mabati thatched quotas in a densely populated area. Kibera, it is estimated to be home to over 1 million families. Education is key and many families are surviving below the poverty belt. Stories from the chocolate City have been written and read. This is a destination to humanitarian bodies trooping in the muddy corridors to paint a smile in the faces of girls and boys in the slum. Perhaps, according to them, Kibera’S life is the ideal definition of poverty.

Education of Girls

We are here for a training, Generation Kenya acquiring entrepreneurial skills that would help transform the narrative in our families. Girls in black skirts matching well with the white blouse.Boys in trousers and shirts of the same color. By then i was a trainee back in 2016 before i realized the hidden passion in journalism. Fast forward, three years down the line i called one of the ladies we had been trained with over her endevours. Feny is now a mother of two, yes 2016 she was lactating her first born. Memory spares me this surprise. “Where did Ann go? i enquirered about my desk-mate then. “Kevin Ann hakumaliza kwa sababu ya challenges personal.”(She never completed because of personal reasons) she responded. A latest report by Tuko News showed how girls fell prey to men for premature love affairs in reward of the all-important pad.

I later realized the girl could not afford her sanitary towel, Whenever, the monthly visitor knocked,she was always scared and confused. These issues undermine girls’ health and rights. Girls can be subjected to stigma or miss school due to difficulty managing their menstrual hygiene. This even costed her education from Primary school. She is amongst millions of girls whose education at some point have been undermined by the Menstrual health in the world.

In a recent article by Independent News of International students titled, Period poverty hinders children’s education globally, Over  1.2 million girls across the world do not have access to the basic sanitation, making their periods a monumental challenge every month.In India, approximately  12% of its 355 million menstruating women cannot afford period products. Whereas in Kenya, an alarming 50% of school going girls have no access to sanitary towels or tampons. More needs to be done to promote girl child education. Overcoming norms and perceptions of the puberty period between parents and their daughters can bridge this gap.

The world marked the annual menstrual health day, Machakos first lady called Lilian N’gan’ga has called on the national goverment to implement 2017 education program that was comprehensive to ensure that girls are supplied with pads.