What is it like for girls growing up with a sense of shame about the normal biological functioning of their body? And how do they cope without the availability of the feminine sanitary supplies we take for granted in the United States?
Anita Byegon shares stories of growing up in Kenya. She was fortunate to have parents who didn’t marry her off in the 8th grade as happened to some of her friends. She was able to get a university education and a good job. She explained that many girls in Kenya drop out of school because they don’t have the sanitary supplies they need when they have their period. Many families have to choose between food and maxi-pads. Naturally they choose food. There is little knowledge and tremendous shame around the menstrual cycle. Girls have to stay home and are too embarrassed to say why they can’t go to school.
In many cases, girls don’t know what is happening to their bodies when they have their first period. Anita talks about what that is like and relates the sad story of a girl who committed suicide the day she began menstruating. Anita also relates the story of the father of 3 teenage girls who, because of the cultural shame around menstruation, had to be educated on the need for sanitary supplies. After his conversation with Anita, he said that in all the years of viewing the family list of items for him to buy at the store, he had never seen sanitary supplies. He honestly had no idea and wondered what his wife and daughters had done for all those years.
After some years of a successful career in the city, Anita felt the desire to return to her hometown and give back. She tells about her work with 100 Humanitarians International and Days for Girls.
Anita started her own enterprise to sew reusable sanitary supplies for the women in Bommet County. Any donations sent here will support her efforts in providing employment to local residents, boosting the local economy and providing reusable sanitary supplies, which last for three years, to women in the Kisii area.
