Journeys that give back

Accessible menstrual hygiene should be the province of every girl and woman. The afflictions of womanhood are never felt so oppressively as that time of the month where the privilege of option, access are glaringly apparent. We as Spes Nova Travel, in conjunction with Zumaridi Organisation and ICOLO, made a concerted effort to gather funds for a pad drive that was held on the 17th and the 30th of January. With the poster made, we encouraged those who could, to donate whatever they had to this initiative. The poster thus indicated the bands of contribution ranging from Ksh 250/- to Ksh 2000/- allowing us to purchase upwards of 30 boxes of pads, catering to 250 girls for a period of at least three months. The pad of choice was MyGirl, a fitting name for an endeavour meant to give back to the girl child. 

Research indicates that on average women lose about 8.9 days of productivity per year, with the statistics suggesting that 80.7 percent of women work while feeling unwell, while 13 percent of women state that they have to take time off school or work due to menstruation. The school in which we carried out the pad drive is called Kandeng’wa Primary, located in Kikuyu, Kiambu County. It has a population of approximately 400 students. The Headteacher shared the difficulty that the girls face during their menses with many of the girls asking for pads during the school day from teachers. Additionally, she mentioned that the government stopped providing pads which exacerbates the already tenuous reality of being a girl from that area. 

The activity was a success and one that was incredibly fulfilling for us on a personal level. It is harrowing to see girls still suffering from these problems. All we can do on an individual level is give back in whatever ways we can.

A culmination of these sentiments would be to echo Saint Josemaria on the finitude of living and giving: Brief indeed is our time for loving, for giving, for making atonement. It would be very wrong, therefore, for us to waste it, or to cast this treasure irresponsibly overboard. We mustn’t squander this period of the world’s history which God has entrusted to each one of us. – Friends of God, No. 39