Sanitary Hygiene Bags

March 28, 2021

During our last visit to Njabini school, in February, we witnessed a very sad scene. A young girl, around 10 years of age, was running home with her school bag on her back. As she passed a group of other school children, mostly boys, she tripped and fell. What ensued was heartbreaking. Her dress hiked up as she fell which left her whole back exposed. Her underpants were in shreds, totally worn out and basically held together by a string. As she cried out in pain, she tried to cover her nakedness, but she was too late; the other kids had already seen the condition of her panties and were howling in laughter.

We jumped out of the car and ran to her, lifted her off the ground, and sternly reprimanded the other children.

The young girl was crying hysterically. We felt her tears were more from the shame she had endured than from the pain of falling. As we spoke to her and tried to reassure her, we could still see the panicked look in her eyes.

Through her sobs, she told us she would not go to school the next day; she did not want to face further ridicule from those children. We escorted her home. Her mother, who is a casual laborer, had not yet returned home from work.

As we waited for her mother, we asked the young girl for the name of her school. We managed to get the school principal’s number. We spoke to him that Thursday evening and told him what had transpired. We asked him to please ensure that the girl did not suffer further humiliation. We asked him to reprimand the naughty kids and warn them not to even look in her direction.

On the way back from Nakuru on Friday, we sent a pack of new panties to the girl. We bought her 14 panties and promised to go check on her sometime, soon.

The girl’s mother was full of gratitude. She said bringing up the kids on her own was so overwhelming that she didn’t pay attention to things like buying underwear. Food and tuition fees were her priorities, and she admitted to having overlooked important things that her daughters needed.

That incident made us sad the whole week. The shame the young girl endured was too much for her tender age. She will need to be very strong to overcome that terrible incident. We hope our hugs and assurances helped lift her up.

We began to imagine, when such a girl starts her menstrual period, sanitary towels will definitely become a problem for her. 

As we pondered, a thought came to mind; what if we designed sanitary hygiene bags!? Vulnerable girls could begin to receive a 3 months’ supply of sanitary towels and panties every 6 months. This would protect their dignity and help keep them in school. These are the same girls who, when not attended to, will exchange their bodies for sanitary towels as we have been witnessing on the news.

CONTENTS OF THE HYGIENE BAG

• 3 months supply of sanitary towels
• 6 Panties
• A pack of Hygiene wipes
• A tube of Vaseline
• Bathing soap
• A roll of toilet paper
• A disposable shaver
• A hand sanitizer

These items will help the girls get through their menstrual period with dignity.

Below is a sample of the contents of the hygiene bag.

The sanitary hygiene supplies packed in decorative bags.

Hygiene bags packed and ready for distribution to needy girls.