Tabani Friends Secondary School in Tongaren constituency has launched a menstrual and health empowerment initiative aimed at reducing school dropout rates and early pregnancies among its female students.
The initiative follows a troubling report by the African Population and Health Research Center, which revealed that approximately 13,000 girls drop out of school each year due to pregnancy.
Dubbed “Rescue Girls from Dropping Out of School", the programme incorporates comprehensive sexuality education, alongside the provision of sanitary towels and other essential hygiene products. The goal is to prevent early sexual activity and ensure girls remain in school.
The school’s principal, Mr Joseph Gisemba, explained that the school has partnered with changemakers and supportive organizations to provide basic needs and scholarships for girls from vulnerable families.
“This support is critical to keeping our girls in school, especially those from impoverished backgrounds,” said Gisemba.
Presiding over the launch, Ms Jackline Aminga, Principal of Makini School – Cambridge Curriculum, lauded the initiative as a game changer for the school’s over 470 female students.
“Girls are the heartbeat of our communities and key to breaking the cycle of poverty. This initiative brings hope to many families and empowers the community through the education of girls,” Ms. Aminga said.
She emphasized that poverty has stripped many girls of their dignity and denied them the opportunity to pursue their dreams, particularly during menstruation, when access to sanitary products becomes a barrier to education.
Aminga urged policymakers to prioritize the provision of menstrual hygiene products in schools and discouraged men from exploiting vulnerable girls, instead calling on them to offer support.
“Men, you have a duty to uplift these girls. Let us support them in their journey to success, not prey on them,” she stated.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join