Help Give Menstrual Kits and a Better Education to Kenyan Girls

In Kenya, what should be a right of passage into womanhood is often a gateway to sexual harassment and dropping out of school.

Kenyan girls often stay home from school about 5 days per month because of menstruation, which can lead to falling grades and even dropping out, because they do not have access to sanitary pads. Poor families must face the choice of whether to buy pads for their adolescent daughter or food for their family. Girls face the embarrassment of blood leaking through their clothes and, when it is apparent they are ovulating, sexual harassment from men, including teachers. Some girls try to manage their periods with cloth or newspaper, but this can still lead to leaking, as well as infections.

American-backed organizations started a program that puts kits to aid menstrual health into the hands of African schoolgirls. These kits include reusable pads, underwear, soap, and information about safe sex and avoiding AIDS. Kenyan girls deserve an opportunity for equal education and safe menstrual health: Tell Secretary Clinton to support this project and help it expand to give Kenyan girls a better education and a healthier future.