Sigalagala Polytechnic has made history by becoming the first ever to unveil a lactation room for nursing student mothers.
The lactation room will enable the mothers to nurse their babies even as they pursue their studies.
The room was established by the institution with support from the government of Canada.
The mothers at the polytechnic will have ample time to take breaks from their classes and breastfeed their babies.
In the lactorium, the nursing mothers will be able to feed, bathe and change diapers for their babies.
The institution's dean of students Geoffrey Wanyonyi said the room will be operational from October 3 and they will observe all hygiene and safety standards to ensure the babies are safe.
“We are glad for such a facility because we have many students who are nursing mothers and they have been struggling on how to balance classes and nursing their babies. This room gives them ample time to be both mothers and students,” Wanyonyi said.
Thelactorium officer in charge Cafeline Kwamboka reiterated that Sigalagala was indeed the only TVET institution in Kenya with such a facility.
“There is no other TVET in this country with such a facility and we pride ourselves on being trendsetters. It’s part of the institution's objectives to offer all the help to students including nursing mothers,” Kwamboka said.
Kwamboka said the facility strengthens the institution’s gender mainstreaming section and will equally benefit nursing tutors.
One of our major strengths as Sigalagala National Polytechnic is gender equality which has enabled us to achieve gender mainstreaming through which such milestones are made,” she said.
Kwamboka recalled that in the past, nursing student mothers would miss classes or drop out altogether as the balance between learning and nursing their babies was unbearable.
“This idea was first born when some of our staff went for training by the Kenya Education For Employment Programme. We knew it would be the perfect way to keep the mothers in class until they complete their studies,” she said
Kefep is a collaborative programme between Kenya and Colleges and Institutes Canada(CICan).
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
