Period Misery For Kenya Schoolgirls

BBC, Nairobi

March 18, 2006

By Anne Mawathe

A large number of girls in rural Kenya skip school at the time of their menstruation because they cannot afford to buy sanitary towels or tampons.

The cost of these monthly necessities has been highlighted by women campaigners in Zimbabwe, where the economic crisis has led to shortages and prohibitive prices.

But it is a problem experienced by many across Africa, and Kenya in particular, where 54% of people live on less than $1 a day.

"I normally lie. I always say that I'm sick at the time of my period," says Soudah Gurhan, a student in Wajir, north-eastern Kenya.

Zainabu Mohammed, a teacher at Wajir's Dambas primary school, says this is the case with many of her female pupils.

"The children that can't afford them miss lessons until their period is over. When they report to classes, they normally say that they were sick because they have no other reason to give out," she says.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4816558.stm