A real estate developer Superior Homes Kenya (SHK) has joined the fight against period poverty among school-going girls within Athi River through an initiative that will see the girls have free access to Feminine Hygiene Items (FHI)
Dubbed “the future is female”, the initiative will see girls across different schools in Athi River receive menstrual hygiene products every month to ensure that they do not miss school during their menstrual period.
The first beneficiaries were 160 girls at Kinanie Secondary School in Athi River who received 480 packets of sanitary towels. The donation will be done to the school on a monthly basis by Superior Homes Kenya.
“This initiative will go a long way to ensure that our girls, who are the leaders of tomorrow, do not miss school, and also have the same opportunities as their male counterparts. This is why we saw it fit as a company to offer a helping hand to the community around our area of operation through this initiative that we hope that we will be able to impact a girl’s life and education,” said SHK chairman Ian Anderson.
Research by Menstrual Hygiene Day, a global advocacy platform for non-profit organizations and government agencies to promote menstrual health, shows that 65 percent of women and girls in Kenya are unable to afford sanitary pads. According to a Ministry of Education report, girls lose an average four school days every month, which translates to two weeks of learning each term due to lack of sanitary towels.
“Education is one of our sustainability development pillars and after a lot of research and discussions, we settled on supporting our young girls. We are determined to ensure that no girl will miss school due to lack of sanitary towels, which is a basic need,” said SHK’s CEO Shiv Arora.
The main goal of the initiative is not only to reduce incidences of lost school days but also boost the confidence of the girls. The initiative will also see the students benefit from career talks from the staff at Superior Homes.
