Education

A pad production line in Kenya that has made reusable kits for 2,800 girls

Students in school uniforms sitting at wooden desks in a crowded classroom, with two girls examining items from red bags.

Fund capital used

$28,270

An education and health project in Kenya, distributing reusable sanitary pad kits produced by local women to help schoolgirls stay in education and improve health outcomes. Each kit helps a girl recover up to 250 hours of school each year.

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The Story

This project is led by Kenya Connect, a nonprofit based in Mwala sub-county, Machakos. The organisation focuses on addressing barriers to education in rural Kenya, particularly for girls. In Wamunyu, they noticed that girls were frequently missing school due to their periods. For many, sanitary products were simply unaffordable.

Kenya Connect responded by training local women to sew reusable menstrual kits using machines provided through the programme. These kits are then distributed to girls through schools, accompanied by health education sessions for all students.

By linking income generation for women with school retention for girls, the project delivers a dignified, local solution to a widespread challenge. Supporting this work means investing in girls' education, women's livelihoods, and healthier communities.

Why this matters

In Kenya, 65% of women and girls cannot afford essential menstrual hygiene products. For schoolgirls, this leads to an average of four missed school days each month, 30 to 40 days per year.

Many girls resort to unsafe alternatives like rags or cotton wool, raising the risk of infections. Others are forced into transactional sex to afford pads, a tragic and dangerous consequence of unmet needs. Meanwhile, only 32% of rural schools have adequate sanitation facilities, further compounding the challenge.

Period poverty affects educational attainment, personal safety, and long-term life chances. Tackling it with locally made, reusable kits addresses both the health and economic dimensions of the problem.

Why Kwanda is funding more production

Each girl who receives a menstrual kit can continue attending school throughout the year, reclaiming up to 250 hours of learning annually. Kits include two reusable shields, ten flannel liners, two pairs of panties, a drawstring bag, and bilingual instructions in Kiswahili and English. They last for up to two years.

Each kit also generates $3 in wages for the woman who makes it, creating local income and skills development. Schools receive ongoing support, and both girls and boys participate in health and hygiene workshops to reduce stigma and improve understanding.

By embedding production and education locally, the model builds long-term resilience while meeting urgent needs.

Technical stuff

The Details

Updates

From the field

49 more girls at Kyambusya have Wings Poa kits, taking us to 1,004

Posted 28 Oct 2026

This month we ran menstrual health training at Kyambusya Comprehensive School in rural Kenya and gave Wings Poa reusable sanitary pad kits to 49 girls, which takes us to 1,004 girls holding a kit. Teacher Florence told us the pads the government had supplied had run out, so the school had been buying pads for girls who could not afford them, which had been a big challenge.

The girls were excited to receive their kits. One of them told us what she had taken from the training: "Today I have known that it is important for me to stay clean and to observe menstrual hygiene, especially during my period."

The 12 LitMoms, local women who sew the kits, kept working on the parts they could finish while we waited on the delayed waterproof PUL fabric, which slowed production. It finally arrived on 23 October. We spent Ksh 38,535 (about £220) this month: Ksh 29,535 on the LitMoms' sewing, Ksh 5,000 on staff time, and Ksh 1,000 each on transport for distribution, monitoring, stationery and printing, and phone calls.

Schools have now closed for the end-of-year holidays and national exams, and will not reopen until January 2027. We are planning the next training sessions and kit distributions with each school for when they return, and in the meantime the LitMoms are finishing the remaining kits.

75 more girls at Mutendeu have Wings Poa kits, taking us to 955

Posted 29 Sept 2026

This month we ran menstrual health and hygiene training at Mutendeu Comprehensive School in rural Kenya and gave Wings Poa reusable sanitary pad kits to 75 girls. Beforehand we ran a pre-survey there to learn what the girls already knew about their periods and how they manage them, and we went back to Makila Comprehensive School for a post-survey to see what has changed since our visit.

That takes us to 955 girls holding a kit and 15 training sessions completed, with 1,277 girls reached through our menstrual health surveys across 20 schools.

The kits are sewn by 12 LitMoms, local women who make the Wings Poa. They have now finished the liners and drawstring bags and have cut the outer cotton fabric for the shields and purses, but those parts cannot be made until the delayed shipment of waterproof PUL fabric arrives. We spent Ksh 129,790 (about £750) this month: Ksh 111,290 to the LitMoms for production, Ksh 10,000 on staff time, Ksh 4,000 on transport for the surveys and distribution, Ksh 2,000 on stationery and printing, Ksh 2,000 on monitoring and Ksh 500 on phone calls.

One girl at Mutendeu told us she had not known much about tracking her cycle, and that getting her period at school could be uncomfortable when she was not prepared. "I am happy because I now know how to count and track my periods. The Wings Poa will also help me when I am in school and I have my period." Once the PUL arrives, the LitMoms will move on to making the shields and purses.

240 more girls have Wings Poa kits, taking our total to 880

Posted 1 Sept 2026

This month we ran menstrual health and hygiene training at five partner schools in rural Kenya and gave Wings Poa reusable kits to 240 girls: 82 at Mbaani Comprehensive, 57 at Kiuanzukini Senior, 53 at Kithiiani Comprehensive, 37 at Kyeengai Comprehensive and 11 at King’atuani Comprehensive. The sessions covered managing periods, tracking a cycle and reproductive health, and the kits mean the girls have a supply that lasts rather than something to buy again every month.

Students in blue uniforms holding up bright pink bags in a classroom with yellow walls and wooden desks. That takes us to 880 girls holding a kit and 14 training sessions completed, with 1,195 girls reached through our menstrual health surveys across 19 schools.

The kits are sewn by 12 LitMoms, local women who earn from every batch. With schools on holiday they carried on making the drawstring bags and liners, but the waterproof PUL fabric we shipped in is running later than we have ever seen, and since it is an important part of the kit the rest cannot be finished without it. We spent Ksh 194,300 (about £1,130) this month: Ksh 158,800 to the LitMoms for production, Ksh 30,000 on staff time, Ksh 5,000 on transport to the schools and Ksh 500 on phone calls to coordinate with them.

A child in a dark navy school uniform holds a pink menstrual cup in front of a whiteboard displaying health and hygiene notes. At King’atuani we also spoke with parents about the reusable pads. One mother told us the kit would take a monthly cost off her hands: “I am so happy because I can now focus on getting money for food and paying my child’s school fees. I will not have to worry about buying sanitary pads for my daughter every month.” As soon as the PUL arrives the LitMoms will finish the remaining kits, ready to distribute when schools reopen.

162 girls at three more schools now have kits, taking us to 640

Posted 27 Jul 2026

This month we ran menstrual health and hygiene training at three schools in rural Kenya: Kyamwei, Kikulumi and Kyuluni Comprehensive Schools. The sessions covered managing periods, tracking a cycle and reproductive health, and we then gave reusable Wings Poa kits to 162 girls, 45 at Kyamwei, 58 at Kikulumi and 59 at Kyuluni, so they can stay in class during their periods.

Children in school uniforms examining folded blue and pink fabric items at wooden desks in a classroom.

We also ran menstrual health surveys at Mbaani and King’atuani Comprehensive Schools to understand what girls there are dealing with and work out where to go next. That takes us to nine training sessions completed and 19 schools surveyed, with 1,195 girls reached through the surveys and 640 now holding a kit. One of the girls at Kyuluni told us: “Before this training, I did not know how to count my cycles. My period could just come anytime and I had to go home to change. Now I am confident in tracking my cycle.”

A woman holds up a dark blue garment in a classroom beside a Kenya Connect "Wings Poa" programme banner.

The kits are sewn by 12 LitMoms, local women who earn from every batch while building their tailoring skills, and Ann, one of them, said the income helps her support her family’s daily needs. We spent Ksh 95,800 (around £560) this month: Ksh 72,800 to the LitMoms for production, Ksh 10,000 on staff time, Ksh 9,000 on transport to the schools, and the remaining Ksh 4,000 on monitoring and coordinating with schools by phone.

Inter-school games took up much of the term, which cut into the time we had for surveys, training and distribution, so we reached fewer schools and fewer girls than we had planned. With the August holiday approaching, we are sourcing more flannel and waterproof PUL fabric, keeping the LitMoms producing kits through the break, and finishing the distributions we still have outstanding before schools close.

180 girls receive menstrual kits, taking our total to 478

Posted 28 Jun 2026

This month we ran menstrual health and hygiene training at Kalau DEB Comprehensive School, reaching 250 students. The sessions covered managing periods, tracking a cycle, reproductive health, and building the confidence to talk openly about it. We then gave reusable Wings Poa kits to 180 of the girls, so they can manage their periods and stay in class.

Girls in maroon school tracksuits examining navy blue clothing items at wooden desks in a crowded classroom. We also ran a menstrual health survey with 60 students at Kiuanzukini Senior School, asking about the challenges girls face during their periods so we know which schools to reach next. With Kalau DEB included, we have now completed six training sessions and surveyed 17 schools, and 478 girls across our rural partner schools now have a kit.

Girls in red uniforms holding pink and navy fabric items whilst seated inside a wooden classroom. Behind every kit are the LitMoms, the local women who sew them. This month they produced 301 kits and earned Ksh 120,400 (around £700) for their work, building their tailoring skills as they go. In all we spent Ksh 198,400 (around £1,160): Ksh 50,000 on fabric, Ksh 120,400 for the LitMoms, Ksh 18,000 on transport, and the rest on monitoring and staff time.

A Kenya Connect worker distributing items to uniformed primary school children seated in a crowded classroom with bare walls. The school calendar slowed us down. Mid-term exams and the break that followed cut into the time we had for training and distribution, so we reached fewer schools than planned. We are using the break to keep producing kits, which is why the LitMoms made more than we handed out, and once schools reopen we will pick up training, surveys, and distribution in the schools we have just surveyed.

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