Isiolo County Government Marks World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023
Isiolo County Government, through the Department of Civic Education and Public Participation, joined various stakeholders in commemorating this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023 at Kilimani Primary School.
The event saw the participation of human rights defenders, development partners (Action Aid), members of the public, and school-going children.
The theme for this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023 was “Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.”
The celebration provided an opportunity for Judy Nyaga, the Isiolo County Chief Officer in charge of the department, to engage with students from Kilimani and Uhuru Primary Schools both boys and girls and delivered a lecture on the importance of menstrual hygiene and the detrimental effects of female genital mutilation.
She emphasized the need for all stakeholders to work closely together and empower the community to prevent girls from leaving school due to shame or lack of necessary infrastructure.
’Poor menstrual hygiene resulting from inadequate education, persistent taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products, and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines educational opportunities, health, and overall social well-being, thus compromising the standard of education in the county” Judy observed.
She called upon male students to support their female peers by assisting them when they are unprepared and their menstruation starts unexpectedly.
Furthermore, she acknowledged the efforts of other stakeholders in raising awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene and the effects of female genital mutilation and promised that Isiolo County Government will be collaborating with these organizations to advance this noble cause.
Rosaline Gollo, CEO of Isiolo Hope, encouraged the pupils to become ambassadors in the fight against female genital mutilation.
She stressed that the effects of female genital mutilation are closely linked to menstrual hygiene.
Mumina Jirmo from Action Aid expressed their commitment to breaking the silence, raising awareness, and challenging negative social norms surrounding menstrual health and hygiene.
Action Aid aims to ensure that menstruation is managed safely, hygienically, with confidence, and without shame by providing basic information about menstruation and eradicate stigma surrounding it.
During the celebration, the winners of interschool debates against female genital mutilation were awarded a trophy and students received soaps and uji flour (boys) while girls received dignity kits, soap, and uji flour, as part of efforts to promote menstrual hygiene.