Over a thousand school girls in Kanyamwa Ward in Ndhiwa Sub County have benefited from sanitary towels courtesy of Mpesa Foundation.
The Foundation’s Monitoring and Evaluation Lead Officer Gilbert Ebole noted that many girls from vulnerable families are unable to purchase sanitary towels which makes them vulnerable to sex pests who engage them in sex in change for buying them the sanitary materials.
Statistics reveal that Homa Bay is among the top counties with high prevalence of teenage mothers at 24 percent.
Ebole said in response to the dire situation, MPESA Foundation stepped in by donating to some girls the sanitary materials to help them maintain menstrual hygiene.
He said the company has a programme that focuses on prenatal and neonatal health.
In the programme, the company and other non-governmental organizations have come together to help women and girls in the county during pregnancy and postnatal care.
“The project is meant for making women live in dignity. We’re trying to protect girls from early pregnancy,” Ebole said.
He made the remarks today at Okok primary school in Kanyamwa Ward where he donated sanitary kits to school girls.
Each kit contains three packets of sanitary towels, soap, a menstrual awareness booklet and panties.
Ebole said the initiative is also meant to prevent infections among girls who would otherwise use crude methods to control their menses. He said it also promotes self-esteem among the beneficiaries.
“Up to 25 per cent of school girls miss school due to periods thus disrupting their education,” he said.
He said so far, the Foundation has distributed at least 800,000 dignity kits to girls in different schools across the country.
Ndhiwa Sub-County Police Commander Paul Rioba warned parents who collude with suspects in defilement cases to defeat justice.
He instead urged them to report all cases to relevant authorities to curb the vice.
The Police Boss noted that in some cases, they ensure no one testifies against suspects in court adding that poverty is the main challenge influencing the cases.
“Let us all take responsibility to protect our girls because they are our future. We are leading in defilement and teenage pregnancies and it must change,” Rioba said.
Homa Bay County Executive for Gender Sarah Malit announced that plans are underway for mentoring teenage girls so they do not fall victims of defilement.
“It’s burdensome when lives of the future generation are ruined at early stage. Let’s work together and address the teen pregnancy menace,” she said.
Homa Bay Deputy Director of Health Amos Dulo urged the government to supply free sanitary towels as it does to condoms.
Source: Kenya News Agency