Removing Barriers to Education by Fighting Period Poverty

Our pitch

Problem 

We and our partners- Edmund Rice Catholic School and 4Wings Northwest CIC (UK), would like to launch a project addressing period poverty and how this is a barrier to education for girls in Ngong, a semi-rural town in Kenya and nationally. 65% of girls and teenage mothers in semi-rural and rural parts of Kenya do not have access to sanitary towels (Menstrual Health in Kenya, 2016), and 50% of girls in Kenya do not have access to menstrual products (UNESCO, 2014) leading this to being one of the most significant challenges for many women and girls in Kenya. The subject of menstruation and period poverty is taboo and stigmatising in many communities in Kenya.

Young girls from disadvantaged families often miss school when they're menstruating. Others are put at risk of exploitation when offered 'pads for sex' by local men. Many of these girls end up pregnant or married off at a young age and drop out of school.

Most girls and teenage mothers who cannot afford menstrual products are left to find other homemade alternatives such as rags, pieces of mattress, plant leaves- all this exposing them to embarrassing accidents and infection.

Access to education in Kenya, especially rural and semi-rural parts of Kenya is a privilege and a big challenge, especially for the girl child. Low-income families may believe that putting a boy in school than a girl is a better investment. One reason is cultural norms- that many communities in Kenya are patriarchal (Global Partnership, 2020). Another is the cost of sanitary products. Unfortunately, for some parents, rather than spend money on expensive sanitary products, the girls are married off or sent off to be labourers. Edmund Rice has shared with us that some girls are told to 'sort themselves out'. This is because many low income families are struggling with basic needs, leaving sanitary products to be seen as a financial burden or luxury expense.

Missing school affects girls’ performance and consequently, their life chances are limited. According to data from the Ministry of Education in Kenya, ‘a girl that is absent from school for four days in 28 days, loses 13 learning days, equivalent to two weeks of learning in every school term. A girl in primary school between grades 6-8 loses 18 learning weeks out of 108 weeks. Within four years of high school, a girl loses 156 learning days equivalent to almost 24 weeks out of 144 weeks of learning (Ministry of Public Service and Gender, Kenya, 2018)’.

Period poverty is an issue not just in Kenya but one that is globally affecting women and girls. It is a challenge that takes more than a handful of organisations to fight, thus several organisations around the world are doing their bit to fight it (World Bank, 2016). As we are an organisation focused on women and girls' empowerment, 4Wings would like to be a part of this cause, participating in knowledge exchanges on how to eliminate it both in Kenya and worldwide.

Solution 

Using sewing machines to make and distribute reusable sanitary towels with locally sourced materials and labour.

To determine suitability and viability of reusable pads in this locality, 5 teenage mothers (school dropouts) will be trained in sewing reusable pads which will be distributed amongst the girls who want to participate in the pilot project. This pilot will run for 6 months, and the pads will be distributed to ca. 500 girls. Each girl will get a pack with get 3 reusable pads, 2 panties and a small purse for the used pad. 

Our project partner, Edmund Rice Catholic School, has a sewing department and sewing machines that will be used for project delivery. 4Wings project coordinators in Kenya will source materials to be provided to the school. They will also liaise with the school to manage the project, monitoring and collecting feedback from project participants.

Within delivery of this project 4Wings UK, our other partner, will train the project team and school staff on project delivery, as well training on advocating for policy change from the ground up, by empowering individuals in communities to self-advocate and engage.

In this pilot, we are working alongside local teenage mothers who are from low income backgrounds, and girls in a local school in Ngong, a semi-rural town in Kenya.

Our solution will train and employ 5 local teenage mothers that have had to drop out of school, to gain a skill which will empower them and provide them with an income. The output (reusable pads) will contribute to removing period poverty as a barrier to education for 500 girls, allowing them to concentrate on their education and remain in education.

As stated earlier, girls in Kenya are losing out on education and being put at risk of exploitation (both sexual and labour) due to period poverty.

Instead of simply handing out single use pads (which are bad for the environment) we will empower teenage mothers by training them to make reusable pads as well as girls by supporting their access to education. This skill learned can be shared with others. We will be making a significant contribution towards fighting period poverty in this locality and eventually in many other rural/semi-rural areas of Kenya.

Project Outcomes:

- Reduced rates of women and girls affected by period poverty

-More girls remain in education

- Increased awareness of environmental issues, women's rights and menstrual hygiene
- Lowering exploitation of girls and women (pads for sex)

- Increased opportunities for girls and teenage mothers from training and employment

- Transnational collaborations are developed and support networks for girls and teenage mothers are established

The bigger picture is to have a social enterprise where more local women and girls are employed and trained to make reusable pads, which will be sold at an affordable price to schools and other outlets, creating a sustainable income for women, specifically teenage mothers, in Ngong.

Our local team is made up of 2 women with lived experience of the issues we are addressing. They are survivors of abuse who have raised children on their own and by empowering themselves, they have been able to regain their autonomy and now want to inspire and empower girls and other women in the community. From our local research, and input from Edmund Rice School, there is no other organisation doing this type of project currently in our chosen area. There is an obvious need because our partner, Edmund Rice, agreed that period poverty is a challenge for many schoolgirls and shared that there was a similar project that provided single use sanitary towels to the school, but they were no longer doing it.

The difference with our project is that we will be training teenage girls on a solution that is not only longer lasting (reusable pads can last up to 4 years), but also environment friendly. We will be teaching a skill that will help improve their lives in the long term and help keep girls in education.

4Wings Kenya has received and will continue to receive training and support from their sister organisation in the UK, 4Wings Northwest CIC, a grassroots women's organisation which has been delivering empowerment projects to women for 8 years and also led by women from minority backgrounds who along with work experience and academic qualifications, have lived experience of the issues they address.

The ethos of all three partners aligns and all partners value being led by the communities we work alongside, and their expression of barriers faced.

We are a new organisation in Kenya and are keen to learn through knowledge sharing with other partners and participate in any free training available on delivering community projects.

As a new organisation, we do require that support (financial, tech and training) in getting us off the ground, but our long term plan is to be able to self-fund/match fund community projects we deliver though our social enterprise.

Our sister organisation is supporting us by offering in kind support of free project training as well as paying the salary of 2 part time workers on the ground in Kenya at these preparatory stages. They have limited resources and free reserves to carry on doing this seeing they are a small grassroots organisation.

It would be great to access resources, mentorship and coaching that is available to grantees, as well as to raise awareness of our collaborative work- showing how the benefits of cross sector and transnational partnerships in knowledge sharing and learning.

Edmund Rice School, our collaborating partner, has been offered single use pads as donations in the past but this support came to an end and the schoolgirls went back to struggling with attendance because of this. Single use pads cost more at purchase and in the long run, whether this is as donations or individual purchases. To remove period poverty as a barrier to education, we opted for a cost effective, longer term solution. The reusable pads can last up to 4 years.

With this pilot we will be able to show local government and schools that there is a better solution to fighting period poverty.

In summary, reusable pads are:

• Better for the environment than single use pads and tampons (National Geographic, 2019 & Earth Eclipse, 2021)

• More sustainable (can last up to 4 years)

• Less toxins (plastics, artificial fragrances, adhesives, chemical gels), and less irritating to the skin as made from breathable fabrics that allow airflow

• On periods being a taboo subject- they are ‘quieter’ than pads

• They are cheaper in the long run (than sanitary pads) and at purchase (than menstrual cups)

• Easier production and use than menstrual cups (women can make the pads, themselves) and do not require training to use from a nurse, like menstrual cups do.

(Greenchild Magazine, 2020)

Our project is also dealing with the root causes of the cycle that leads to reduced access for girls in education- which is lack of employment and low income.

We will not simply hand out pads (putting a plaster on the issue), we will train girls who have had to drop out of school in a skill that, with our social enterprise, will be an income generator, with the aim of providing girls and women with a sustainable income, thus breaking the cycle of period poverty and lack of access to education for their girl children, as well as many other girls.

Our Impact Goals in year 1

• 10 teenage mothers in the community will be trained in sewing reusable pads, thus gaining a new skill
• At least 1500 local schoolgirls have reusable sanitary products, produced by the trained girls/young women, and thus increased access to education
• Our local community has increased environmental awareness

Bigger Picture:

A social enterprise offering employment to local women and girls, as seamstresses, providing them with a good income which will allow them to meet their living costs and ability to pay for all their children's school fees. This will strengthen the Ngong community.

Girls from the local school will have employment pathways, increased self-esteem and self-efficacy and ability to self-advocate.

Our longer term plan is to advocate (together with schoolgirls) the use of reusable pads to local and central government. The Government's current policy position is that sanitary pads should be provided for free in school, but this is not happening in reality.

1. We start with a baseline survey with all participants (both the teenage mothers to be trained and a sample of the schoolgirls who will receive reusable pads) to know their starting point.
2. We will continue measuring progress throughout project lifetime via focus groups and interviews with the girls and teen mothers taking part in the project.
3. We will collect reports from staff who will be monitoring via observation, impact of the project on the schoolgirls
4. We will write a quarterly progress report informed by above data collection
5. Over the 6 months, we will hold a team meeting on a monthly basis (4 on ZOOM and 2 in person) to discuss what is working/what is not and adapt if necessary.

The Problem: Women and girls in Kenya have fewer opportunities and are held back by several barriers including challenges accessing education

patriarchal values, social and cultural norms.

Target Beneficiaries: Women and girls in rural and semi-rural parts of Kenya

Activities:

• Delivering projects that empower women and girls, raise their self-belief and self-efficacy
• Offering training opportunites for skills building
• Utilising these skills to develop social enterprises, providing employment and income to women and girls
• Developing and growing our professional networks with relevant private and public organisations for business building and raising awareness/support of our work
• Working in partnership with other local organisations for referrals and exchange of best practice.
  

Outcomes in our target areas (rural and semi-rural Kenya):

-More girls remain in education

-More girls have improved life chances

-Training and employment opportunities for women and girls

-Increased confidence, resilience, self-efficacy = empowered women and girls

-Women and girls with new aquired skills

-Solidarity in the community, leading to stronger communities

Longterm Impact

-Women and girls in many parts of Kenya are empowered to self advocate, fight for equal opportunities, challenging patriachy and cultural norms that hold them back from thriving.

We are using the sewing machine as our technology, which is seen as one of the key innovations in the textile industry.

Of course, it is possible to hand sew reusable pads, however, sewing machines will allow the sewing team to produce the reusable pads faster, produce better/stronger quality pads, and a product with a better finish, because the aim is to eventually sell these for profit. 

Our local team is small (2 women) but inclusive in providing an employment opportunity to women over 50, who usually experience ageism when seeking employment opportunities. The UK team is culturally diverse and made up of migrant women from various parts of the world. We offer contracted work, employment opportunities and leadership positions to women who want to work, are skilled and qualified, but struggle to get a foot in the door, let alone a seat at the table.

Though the nature of our work and demographic means we work alongside focus on women and girls (many will be survivors of abuse or other trauma perpetrated by men), we are inclusive of any individual that identifies as a woman/girl (transwomen and intersex persons).

We are continuously learning and educating ourselves on the challenges all women face, recognising the different intersections they arrive at, impacting on their life experience.

Because transgender, and non-binary identities are a taboo subject in Kenya, marginalising and putting many at risk, it is challenging for people to approach organisations for support and likewise for organisations to identify those in need from these demographics. Our work is inclusive and intersectional. This will be clear on all marketing and project material to ensure all women, and those that identify as, feel safe, respected and valued while working alongside us.

There is always room for improvement thus all partners will work towards becoming even more inclusive when meeting our goals.

Overall, the key focus that guides 4wings business model is empowering women and girls by designing projects geared towards removing barriers that hold them back.

Currently our offer is training young mothers to sew reusable pads that will be in the long run, sold to generate an income that will pay for the seamstresses and for donations of pads to local schools in Ngong. These mothers will have dropped out of school because of low income of their parents that leads to them being married off or being exploited by men who offer money or pads for sex. The root cause is low income.

For this pilot after training the young mothers, we will employ them to produce the reusable pads. These pads will be distributed to girls in education to pilot viability. According to Edmund Rice school, meeting this (sanitary products) need, will remove one of the significant barriers to girls’ education, thus improving their future life chances.

After the pilot project, we will develop a social enterprise to generate an income that will allow us to employ more girls and continue supporting girls to remain in education.

The success of this project will be used to push the government’s women's representative in Ngong, to put current policy in practice, using a more cost effective, longer term solution, that is better for the environment.

Though we are a new organisation, our values and way of working are in line with our sister organisation and partner in this project- 4Wings Northwest CIC, UK, who have been offering empowerment and self-efficacy projects to women and girls for 8 years. 

Our initial funds to run this pilot and cover startup costs will come from grant funding. The income from these will allow us to break even- we do not expect to make a profit from this 6 month pilot.

The results of the pilot will allow us to fine tune our offer and submit a bid to local government and social investors. We will also apply for further grants/match funding.

After piloting phase, phase 1 of our project will produce 2000 reusable pads: 1500 to sell and 500 to donate to Edmund Rice School, our local partner.

Our long-term plan is for our main income to be from securing bids from local goverment to supply reusable pads, selling the reusable pads to organisations looking to make donations to schools, and to a lesser degree, support from grant funding.

We are a new organisation under training and guidance from our sister organisation- 4Wings Northwest CIC (UK), which has been running for 8 years and having a life changing impact for many women and children in their community.

4Wings UK has received repeated funding from Smallwood Trust, ROSA Foundation and National lottery (to name a few), evidencing that they trust 4Wings CIC to manage funds and deliver project outcomes.

Smallwood Trust for example, nominated 4Wings (UK) to be their community Partner to distribute individual grants to women. The grant of £75,000 over 3 years, included an amount towards managing and administering these funds.

4Wings UK has been able to sustain itself through the years, as well as through a pandemic, with a strong micro team on part time hours, driven by their resilience and passion to see all women and girls, especially those that fall through the gaps of traditional routes of support, thrive. We believe we can succeed in doing the same in Kenya, developing and sustaining 4Wings Kenya, with their guidance.