Menstruation is a natural process in women’s lives and requires special care from a physical and psychological point of view.
Negligence in menstrual hygiene can result in different sorts of infections including bacterial.
Unfortunately, awareness concerning Menstrual Hygiene Management is not highlighted due to socio-cultural trends.
In the present age, menstrual hygiene needs more attention because of the rapidly increasing active participation of girls and women in different walks of life.
Kenya's government committed to offering free sanitary towels to all girls enrolled in the public basic learning institutions through a Presidential directive.
This has played role in reducing the number of girls who miss attending class due to the inaccessibility of MHM products.
However, the perception of menstruation as unclean and embarrassing and beliefs that it must remain hidden in communication still exists in our communities including the school setups, creating stigmatization around the natural monthly bleeding.
There is a lack of adequate knowledge of MHM. Studies reveal that girls belonging to the low-income class and less educated families, don’t know how to dispose of sanitary material properly especially in time of immediate need.
Availing sanitary towels to young girls in school without proper MHM information is like covering a dustbin with a lid hoping for the stench to go away.
The May 28, 2021, theme of MHM Day calls for investments in menstrual health and hygiene, not just by providing pads but also information on the monthly cycle and other reproductive health issues.
The government must fast track the implementation of school health policy which recognizes the provision of MHM information through age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality as a critical aspect in protecting adolescent and young women’s health, enabling them to realize their full potential in life.
School management should be encouraged to include parents or guardians in these interventions to keep girls safe at home and school, the norm of teachers sidelining boys in MHM talks should also be avoided.
Esther Mwende
Big Sister and Champion for Reproductive Health Rights at Centre for the Study of Adolescence.
Kiambu
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
