MY FLOW FOUNDATION TACKLES PERIOD POVERTY in MASENO, VIHIGA COUNTY.

 MY FLOW FOUNDATION TACKLES PERIOD POVERTY in MASENO, VIHIGA COUNTY.

Everyone globally is currently responding to the Corona Virus pandemic which is still
growing its fangs and ravaging individual lives and businesses around the world since 2020. Among issues that have become glaring and exposed the lack in our society during this pandemic is increased period poverty. Period poverty is a global issue affecting girls and women who do not have the means to afford safe and hygienic sanitary materials to ensure that they manage their periods with dignity and confidence.

Some organizations and individuals in Kenya have taken responsibility and set out to ensure access to safe hygienic sanitary products and to educate and inform girls about Menstrual Health and Hygiene.

My Flow Foundation is one such organization, in its bid to eradicate period poverty in communities, they run a program dubbed Menstrual Heath Management that not only informs and equips girls with knowledge and products on Menstrual Health and hygiene Management but also mentors them across other areas of their life including but not limited to sex and sexual activity related consequences, academics, life skills, drug use, discipline, respect among others.

My Flow Foundation has visited girls from many counties including Nairobi, Bomet,
Homabay, Kajiado,Kisumu and Vihiga, meeting many girls from different communities and
giving them the know-how on their menstrual health.

My Flow Foundation preaches the gospel of awareness and period confidence. They insist that menstruation is not something our girls should be made to feel ashamed of and or stigmatized on. On the contrary, girls should feel proud and confident in their ability to
thrive within societies. We should all aspire to normalize menstruation and destroy taboos
and myths around this natural process.

On Friday, 23 rd April 2021, My Flow Foundation interacted with young girls from the
community at St. Simon Church, Ekwanda Parish. The team had conversations with the girls on Menstrual Health and Hygiene. They broke down taboos and myths related to periods. They encouraged them to be confident and speak up whenever they felt and saw a need to. They sensitized them on focusing on their education and not be lured into activities that will jeopardize their life and education. The girls were encouraged to be confident and to be bold, to avoid vices and to be responsible citizens.

In Kenya, many girls are unable to afford proper menstrual products leaving girls to use
unsafe materials like rugs, cloth, tissue papers and mattress as an alternative. Of which,
some go to an extent of having sex with men to get the money to buy these products.

Lack of proper sanitary products pauses mental and physical health risks and is linked to
reproductive and urinary tract infections. It also prevents girls from reaching their full
potential since they feel that they cannot do certain activities while on their periods making
them to even miss school. This is something that can be managed by educating the girl child about menstrual health and hygiene.

Without proper knowledge, young girls are more likely to drop out of school, enter child
marriages and experience early pregnancy, malnourishment, domestic violence and
pregnancy complications as a result.

Both genders should be educated on this natural process. This will help reduce
stigmatization and teasing of girls that are on their periods. Including boys in the fight
against period poverty will create an environment in which girls do not feel ashamed but
confident while on their periods.

With that, every individual in the society should come together, put in effort and help
educate not only girls but also boys on menstrual health and hygiene, this will be a step
forward in the fight against period poverty.

Join My Flow Foundation at www.myflowfoundation.org on this journey of eradicating
period poverty.