This country promised free sanitary towels to every schoolgirl!
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Kenyan government announced they would provide free sanitary products to female students. The government hopes that this would help tackle the issue of students missing school during menstruation due to lack of sanitary towels.
There might be some of us complaining about tax on sanitary products in the UK but what about those who cannot even even afford or have access to them at all?
Conducted research revealed that in several developing countries, girls are deemed ‘dirty’ during menstruation. It is believed that this stigma is one of the main reasons girls prefer to stay at home until menstruation is over. It is also often difficult for girls in rural areas to find sanitary pads; many rely on absorbent cloth, which can leak and stain school uniforms.
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So the question is, can girls living in rural areas even have access to sanitary pads? Well actually, they often cannot so they rely on absorbent cloth and some use socks as an alternative – all of this still does not prevent leaking and staining of school uniforms.
UN Research found that at least one in ten girls across Africa miss school because sanitary products are unavailable to them. This is arguably the main reason that interferes with their education and overall attendance record.
Last month, President Uhuru Kenyatta, who signed into the law of The amendment to the education act, stated “free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels” must be provided to every girl registered at school, as well as providing “a safe and environmental sound mechanism for disposal”.
With a budget of approximately $5 million for the financial year 2017-2018, the Kenyan government promise to provide sufficient sanitary towels to every school girl who has reached puberty. School management will be given authority and total responsibility of purchasing and distributing sanitary products to schoolgirls.
Hopefully, this will put an end to female students in Kenya missing school on a monthly basis and that many other countries follow their example.
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