THERE IS MORE TO MENSTRUATION THAN A SANITARY PAD

Image: The Economic Times

With menstruation on the limelight in Kenya today, there have been campaigns left right and centre to donate and collect sanitary towels to keep girls in class, with even the government coming in and providing free sanitary towels to schools, but is this enough? Truth is that most of the girls like most of the Kenyans out there are not aware that there is more to menstruation than the monthly period. Menstruation is a natural biological process, which occurs in girls from ages 9-19 and varies from girl to girl yet menstruation is regarded as a silent, shameful, embarrassing or even a taboo topic in most of our cultures. The result is women and girls have over the year’s hidden and concealed menstruation, yet it is one of the issues that needs to be prioritized to achieve gender equality and inclusion.

Many girls are not able to manage their periods in a safe and dignified manner. Lack of sanitation facilities in school is one of the causes of menstruation related absenteeism; the girls opt to stay at home to avoid compromising their integrity. When they soil their dresses in school, the ridicule and embarrassment from their colleagues forces them to stay at home during this period. Menstrual cramps are also an issue as the girls do not know how to handle them, and because menstruation is regarded as a “private” topic the girls suffer in silence.  There are no safety measures for disposal of used sanitary towels in most schools and homesteads. You find that most schools don’t have menstrual bins for collecting pads and mostly not considered a priority, so the girls end up disposing them in the latrine or hiding them on shelves or cracks in the bathroom.

 Inadequate of complete lack of water mostly affects the girls, meaning that they cannot maintain good menstrual hygiene. Unhygienic practices expose the girls to reproductive tract infections that the girls cannot report lest they are accused of engaging in sex yet If not treated early; it could lead to various health issues and consequently affect their valuable lives.  Girls should therefore be made aware of the process of menstruation and importance of maintaining their hygiene before attaining menarche. They should also be made aware about its linkages with their forthcoming reproductive health.  Menstrual hygiene management education will also help demystify the myths and taboos on menstruation. On the other hand, the society should break the silence on menstruation and discuss these issues and come up with practical solutions so as to leave no one behind.     

                                                                                                                                     

By Jedidah Lemaron

Jedidah Lemaron is the Founder and Executive Director of the Malkia Initiative, which works to promote and enhance quality education for girls. Our main focus is on Mentorship, Menstrual Hygiene Management and re-admission of teenage mothers to school, she is passionate about Education, Youth,  Girls, and Women. As a Maasai girl she works to change the lives of the community by exploring ways to engage  the diverse group of actors including the Maasai elders, community gate keepers, role models, youth and women into finding even better solutions to close the evident gaps. She has worked on campaigns such as ‘Girls not brides’, and ‘Do not exchange girls with cows’ and ‘End FGM Now,’ among others.