Kwanda
Kwanda logo mark
In Progress
Started: 4 Apr 2024
Fund capital used

$4,120

Partner:
  • Relevant Data
  • Region
    🇰🇪 Kenya
  • Sector
    🎒 Education
  • Kits distributed
    710
  • Women employed
    11
  • Wages paid out
    $2,130
About

This project, in collaboration with Kenya Connect, distributes reusable sanitary pad kits - manufactured by local women - to girls in Wamunyu, Kenya, helping them remain in education.


Why is this work necessary?

65% of women and girls in Kenya cannot afford essential menstrual hygiene products. This widespread lack of access forces girls to miss school, with approximately one million school-age girls missing an average of four academic days per month due to period poverty—39 days annually.

With 42% of schoolgirls resorting to unsafe menstrual methods like rags or cotton wool, they’re vulnerable to infections and reproductive health issues, worsened by inadequate sanitation facilities in rural schools (only 32% offer private spaces). Period poverty also leads to transactional sex for sanitary products; two-thirds of rural pad users rely on sexual partners, and 10% of 15-year-old girls report trading sex for menstrual products—fueling teenage pregnancies, exploitation, and ongoing gender inequality.


The solution

Local women—using machines supplied by Kenya Connect—sew reusable sanitary pad kits. The kits are then distributed to girls through an established network of schools, along with health education workshops for all students. Each kit lasts up to two years and contains two reusable shields, ten flannel liners, two pairs of panties, a drawstring bag, and bilingual (Kiswahili and English) instructions.


Who is Kenya Connect?

Kenya Connect is a nonprofit organization working to improve education and health outcomes in rural Kenya, particularly in the Mwala sub-county of Machakos. Their initiatives focus on addressing barriers to education, such as period poverty while fostering community empowerment and sustainability.

Additionally, Kenya Connect creates income opportunities for women through sewing training and tackles issues like teen pregnancy and gender-based violence.


Impact and outcomes

Every 100 kits distributed through this project reclaims up to 30,000 hours of school time that would otherwise be lost to girls in the school year.

Additionally, $3 is paid to women in wages for each kit produced, generating a sustainable income and strengthening local economic resilience.

Updates

From the field

480 girls in Kenya have now received their kits

Posted by James Musyoka

Posted 22 Jun 2024

For the last two weeks, the local moms and our team have been busy making, training, and distributing reusable sanitary pads for the two remaining schools, Makaalu Primary and Mwaasua Secondary Schools.

A total of 61 kits were issued to students at both schools. We are very excited to report that 480 girls have now been trained on menstrual hygiene and issued reusable menstrual kits! All the seven targeted beneficiary schools have been fully trained and issued with sanitary kits. They include:

  1. Nunga Primary School - 35 girls

  2. Wamunyu ABC Primary School - 31 girls

  3. Makaalu Secondary School - 34 girls

  4. Kilembwa Secondary - 289 girls 

  5. Mbuini Primary School- 30 girls

  6. Makaalu Primary School – 31 girls

  7. Mwaasua Secondary School – 30 girls

During our training and distribution schedules, the students have expressed great gratitude for the kits. Faith, a student at Mwaasua Secondary School, commented:

“I am humbled and excited to receive the kit; I will not be stressed anymore on what to use during my period. Sometimes, I was praying that my period skips when I am in school because I don’t have sanitary pads.’

The local moms making the reusable sanitary kits did an outstanding job! They are also very grateful for the project and its impact on young girls in the community. Miriam, one of the moms making the kits, commended.

‘I am happy that the parents of the girls who receive the wings Poa won’t struggle to buy synthetic sanitary pads and that money can instead be used to buy food for the family.  I am proud of making the Wings Poa because I know girls won’t miss school and won’t have challenges getting sanitary pads.

As we wind up the training and distribution of kits to students in the seven targeted schools, we wish to thank Kwanda supporters for your great generosity, which is making a big difference among school girls in our community.They will now attend school regularly without period interruptions. Long live Kwanda!

419 girls in Kenya have now received their kits

Posted by James Musyoka

Posted 10 Jun 2024

One month after receiving the Kwanda grant, we are excited to share that 419 girls have been trained and issued with reusable sanitary pad kits.

So far, 5 schools out of 7 targeted schools have been fully trained and issued with the kits. They include:

  1. Nunga Primary School - 35 girls

  2. Wamunyu ABC Primary School - 31 girls

  3. Makaalu Secondary School - 34 girls

  4. Kilembwa Secondary - 289 girls and

  5. Mbuini Primary School- 30 girls

The training and distribution of the reusable pad kits last month at Makaalu Secondary coincided with International Menstrual Hygiene Day! It was a day of celebration for these girls to receive their kits and regain a sense of dignity. During the training and distribution of the kits at the respective schools, our team listened to students who expressed great gratitude for the kits. Here are a few comments from the girls.

During my periods I used to fake illness so that I could stay at the dormitory because I didn't have sanitary pads. I was using cut out materials from kanga fabric and they would often leak. Now with the kit, I will be able to attend classes without fear of leakage. — Mercy, Kilembwa secondary

I’m happy to receive my kit. For now, I will not be sharing the sanitary pads with my sister since my mother used to buy just one pack for both of us to share. — Ann, Mbuini Ps

Local women sewing menstrual for additional income

Posted by James Musyoka

Posted 3 Jun 2024

Our maker space has been intensively assisting local mothers in sewing and producing the kits.

The sewing initiative is providing a steady income to these women. Elizabeth one of the women commented:

I am happy and enjoying making the kits. I can now get money from making the kits and ‘am not dependent on casual jobs. Through making the kits, I am able to start poultry farming

A thank you message to Kwanda villagers on world menstrual hygiene day

Posted by Jermaine

Posted 28 May 2024

I received this lovely video recording from the girls at Makaalu Secondary School this afternoon.

67 girls have received their kits

Posted by James Musyoka

Posted 27 May 2024

Our team has identified 7 schools whose girls shall benefit from the sanitary pads: Nunga Primary School, Wamunyu ABC Primary School, Mbuini Primary School, Makaalu Primary School, Kilembwa Secondary School, Makaalu Secondary School and Mwaasua Secondary School

So far, the team has administered surveys on menstrual sanitary hygiene at Nunga Ps, Wamunyu ABC Ps, Mbuini Ps, Kisinzini Ps, Makaalu Sec and Kilembwa Secondary School. This survey was administered to all the girls at puberty to collect essential information on menstrual hygiene, which, in turn, informs the girls about the training. After collecting the survey data, our team analyzed the data and conducted workshop training at two schools, Nunga PS and Wamunyu ABC Ps, focusing on general menstrual hygiene, usage and product maintenance.

After the training, our team issued 36 girls from Nunga Ps and 31 girls from Wamunyu ABC Ps with a kit each. So far 67 girls have benefited. The full kit contains 10 liners, 3 shields, a pulse, a drawstring bag and a pantie.

We're able to produce 80 additional kits for girls!

Posted by Jermaine

Posted 23 May 2024

This morning, I received an update from James, the project lead in Kenya who's overseeing the delivery of menstrual kits to 400 students.

The material for the kits was purchased last week, and we found enough fabric to produce an additional 80 kits, so we'll now be providing kits to 480 students in total .

Delivering 400 more kits to girls in Kenya

Posted by Jermaine

Posted 13 May 2024

Our villagers just passed a vote to expand this initiative by funding health education and reusable kits for 400 students in Kenya.

We'll leverage our established relationship with the community and schools in Wamunyu, Kenya, and once again hire local sewists to create the kits.

Following a successful project in Ghana - this will bring the total number of kits delivered to 600.

Following up on the girls in Wamunyu.

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 13 Aug 2021

Kenya Connect, our partners on the ground, have conducted a three-month check-in with the girls who received reusable sanitary pad kits.

Overall, they are observing that girls and their families have reduced their household costs as they are no longer having to purchase disposable pads. Girls are also staying in school and staying healthier as they have a safe and sanitary option for their periods.

The Wings Poa reusable pads project is complete!

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 15 Jun 2021

28 May is annual Menstrual Hygiene Day and was a very fitting day for our project in partnership with Kenya Connect to provide 230 girls with reusable sanitary pads kits to get completed.

The final 69 girls at Nyaani Secondary School received their kits. They also celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day by reciting poems and raising awareness of menstrual hygiene and how women and girls are affected by inadequate provision.

45 girls at St Pius Kaitha Secondary School have received their Wings Poa kits

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 1 Jun 2021

Margaret and the team have completed distribution at St Pius Kaitha Secondary School. They just have one more distribution to do to complete this project!

30 girls at Mwaasua Secondary School have received Wings Poa kits

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 30 May 2021

30 more girls have received kits in Wamunyu. The girls at Mwaasua Secondary School wanted to share the level of impact this will have on them. Many of their parents were not able to consistently afford period products. These girls will no longer miss school when they're on their period, which will have a big impact on their education!

36 girls at Kitile Primary School have received their Wings Poa kits!

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 29 May 2021

Margaret and the team have distributed kits to 36 girls at Kitile, with the redesigned and newly branded Wings Poa kits.

50 girls at Kikaso Primary School have received their Wings Poa kits

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 28 May 2021

The Kenya Connect team are distributing pads this week! 50 girls at Kikaso Primary School have received their kits.

Each girl receives a package that consists of: two shields, ten liners, one pulse, one drawstring bag, a pair of panties, a brochure and a menstrual calendar.

All 230 girls have been trained in menstrual health

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 26 May 2021

All 230 girls have now received their menstrual health and hygiene training. 36 girls have been trained at Kitile Primary School, 69 girls at Nyaani Secondary School, 45 girls at St Pius Kaitha Secondary School, 50 girls at Kikaso Primary School and 30 girls at Mwaasus Primary School.

The team at Kenya Connect have been screen printing the bags the kits will be presented in, ready for distribution this week!

Sewing of the menstrual kits is complete!

Posted by Rumbi

Posted 18 May 2021

Exciting news! The seamstresses in Kenya have completed sewing the 230 kits, which will be distributed to girls in a few days.

Demo on how to insert liners
In the meantime, Margaret, our project lead on the ground, visited Kitile primary school last week and met with 36 girls in Grades 5, 6 and 7. She trained them on menstrual hygiene, different period products and how to use and dispose of them. We are told that students were very attentive and asked many intelligent questions. They were issued sticky notes so they could ask questions anonymously.

Students learning how to use Wings Poa product
From this first session, it was clear that many of the girls have inadequate knowledge about menstruation, partly because of the secrecy and stigma that surrounds it. It was also clear that the lack of sanitary pads is a key barrier to optimal menstrual hygiene management.

Elizabeth delivers sanitary supplies
Kenya Connect staff will continue to deliver training in the next two weeks before distributing the kits, which are being cleaned and packed.

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