NGO targets one million learners with drive to distribute pads, inner wears

Director of giving hope to the hopeless organization Ann Ndung`u leads other officials during the launch of a campaign to distribute one million sanitary pads to school going girls in the city. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

School going children within Nairobi will benefit from an NGO’s inner wear and sanitary towels distribution drive.

The drive by Giving Hope to the Hopless Organisation targets one million school learners from across Nairobi County.

The NGO’s director Ann Ndung'u said the decision to launch the campaign was necessitated following a cry by girls at Githurai secondary school who said many of them had no access to sanitary pads.

Ndung'u doubles up as a pastor and a member of the Roysambu CDF committee representing people living with disabilities.

She spoke on Tuesday during the official launch of the drive at Githurai Social hall.

"I was touched when we had a problem of sewage blockage and when it was checked we found out that it had been blocked by clothes, sponges and blanket materials used by girls during their menstruation period," said Ndung’u.

According to her, after visiting the school two weeks ago, many girls admitted to using the materials that caused the blockage of the sewage pipes.

Ndung'u said she has approached several partners who have agreed to help in the campaign.

Students who were present said hard economic times and poverty was to blame for lack of access to the pads and inner wears.

The students said some girls are forced at times to engage in unprotected sex so as to get money to buy the pads while putting their lives at risk.

"Some of us because of lack of the pads during the menstrual period we are unable to attend school and this really affects our school performance in examination,” one of the girls said.