Nairobi News

First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto on Thursday has launched Sifa Pad & Praise Project, a factory that has the capacity to produce 200 pads per minute.

The project is an initiative of Kenya Assemblies of God Church and WorldService International Kenya. The sanitary pad factory has been set up with the help of Hands of Hope-Joyce Meryer Ministry World Mission.

Speaking after launching the project, Mama Rachel said the initiative will help young girls who are unable to purchase sanitary towels.

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“For some of the girls, desperation during their menstruation season drives them to get involved in sexual activities to earn money that will enable them to buy sanitary pads. The Sifa Pad Project gives our girls an opportunity to live their lives with the dignity they deserve,” the First Lady said.

The sanitary pads are 100 per cent biodegradable and friendly to the environment. Through the initiative, more than 20,000 girls will be empowered with information and life skills that will help them navigate the future.

According to the First Lady, many girls use insufficient and unhyginical methods during their menstruation, which puts them at a risk of infection.

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In Kenya, 65 per cent of women are unable to afford sanitary pads. One million school-age girls miss an average of four school days per month because of their menstrual cycle and no access to feminine hygiene products.

The menstrual policy in Kenya has a mission of ensuring that all women and girls in Kenya are able to manage menstruation hygienically, freely, with dignity without stigma or taboos, and with access to: the right information on menstrual products, services and facilities; and to safely dispose menstrual waste.

The Kenyan government got rid of the tax on period products in 2004.

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