Growing up, I always thought that each and every girl had access to sanitary towels. This changed after I cleared high school. As a 1^st year student at Strathmore University undertaking CPAs, I started volunteering in children’s homes and schools around Madaraka estate, Nairobi West, South B and in slum areas where I did mentorship and leadership programs. This exposed me to the challenges the children especially the girls faced with regards to sanitary towels. Anyway, I did all I could as a university student, by participating in home and school visits, mobilizing my colleagues in school to give donations and anything else that was required of me.

After completing my degree course, I felt I was set to go and change my world. I believe that success is not just having a nice car, nice job, nice house, nice clothes, and nice everything. I believe that success is impacting the world with the investment God has deposited in your personality, influencing those around you to think like you and causing them to aspire to your aspirations.

This inspired me to carry out a research that was meant to find out exactly the situation at hand. I did this with a view of placing the extreme cases under a program where I would sponsor them with sanitary towels every month. In the questionnaires, some of the girls talked about how the rags they used, sometimes, got stained which would be embarrassing for them. Others even explained how they used leaves, sand or soil during their cycles. It was so hard for me going over the sentiments of these little ones who were as young as 10 years. The embarrassment they underwent in school was unbelievable. When I searched the internet, it became apparent that the issue was a countrywide concern.

I didn’t know where to begin. I thought to myself, helping one girl was not good enough. What about the rest? This was until I heard a certain professor say that I could not change the world alone but I could throw a stone that could create ripples. Change is change no matter how small. Providing sanitary towels for one girl each and every month can alter the life of that girl. One person really does matter.

I welcome you to partner with me in the “Every Child is your Child” initiative, which was prompted by an urgent need to respond to the situation of girls in Kenya’s rural and low-income urban areas who cannot afford sanitary pads.” I hope that other partners will join us to scale up distribution so that even more needy girls can benefit from this solution.

The project will facilitate direct distribution of sanitary towels, physiological education, leadership and mentorship classes to at least 1,000 girls, in its 1^st phase. This will enhance their access to sustainable female hygiene and awareness. We will facilitate trainings and question-and-answer sessions to give girls a forum to discuss related issues along with female teachers and other medical staff in the schools. This project will be on-going and is envisioned to address not only girls in the Nairobi county but also those in rural areas.

Long Term Goals

• Girls will not have to miss school simply because they are menstruating.
• Girls will know that they can discuss challenges connected to menstruation with health extension workers, other healthcare professionals who may be available, as well as teachers – male or female.
• The future projects will not only be to give sanitary pads to the girls in schools in Nairobi County but also in other locations in and outside of Nairobi. The club will also be able to advise others on implementing similar projects.
• To pay school fees for the girls.

You can partner with us by filling a form at https://nellytuluba.com/eciyc/support/

With love,

Nexcellent Tuluba,