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.
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.
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.
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.
