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The Mt. Elgon region of Kenya, situated at the Kenya-Uganda border, has faced decades of hardship from tribal clashes and militia violence between 2006–2008 that left many families displaced, traumatized, widowed, and economically devastated.
Many of these affected households rely on low-income activities to make ends meet, so that even affording basic things like sanitary pads for menstruation is considered a luxury. Girls in Mt. Elgon miss up to five days of school each month due to the lack of sanitary pads. This has led many girls to drop out of school, and enter early marriages, which shifts the financial responsibility of providing for them from their mother to their spouse. Other girls who cannot support themselves are exposed to sexual exploitation.
For these reasons, Friends United Meeting Africa Ministries Programme Officer Getry Agizah, funded by a generous donation from USFW, rolled out a training program in Kenya, at the Chebyuk Peace Centre in the Mt. Elgon area, to teach women how to sew reusable menstrual pads. Teaching women and girls how to make reusable sanitary pads both addresses poverty and promotes menstrual hygiene. This program incorporates teaching general sewing skills but emphasizes making reusable pads. Through the project, the pads will be easily accessible to girls and create economic empowerment.
Friends United Meeting hopes to reach out to as many vulnerable girls as possible and change the narrative of school drop-outs in such regions. This program aims at keeping girls in school consistently—improving literacy and empowering women to take control of their bodies and futures. Beneficiaries of the program will create micro-enterprises and boost household income. The program will also break taboos around menstruation and foster dignity.
One tailor from Kapsikirok shared that her mission is to “change the narrative of a girl child from a humble background” by giving her equal access to education through free washable pads.
