About this program

Wings Poa, Kenya Connect’s Reusable Sanitary Pad program, is helping girls stay in school during their menstruation. An issue that had been raised by the Head Teachers, we began seeking a solution to help girls stay in school.

One of our Board members worked to develop a prototype, and thanks to a grant by Kathy Wheeler, world Help and Caring Crowd, we launched the program with the purchase of three sewing machines, PUL fabric, and other supplies and women from the local Kithito Kya Kyeengai women’s group and students at the Wamunyu Special School creating the kits. When the kits are distributed, students and mothers are invited to learn more about menstrual health and hygiene and to learn about the new reusable kits from staff members and volunteers.

We learned through surveying girls at two of our participating schools that 85% of the girls missed 3-4 days of school each month. After using the kits for 3 months, we learned that only 5% of the girls were missing school when they had their periods. We are thrilled with these initial results and have distributed over 800 kits at 20 schools. Kenya Connect also partnered with Afrocloud Technologies to create a Wings Poa digital curriculum that is being piloted with primary school students. We will continue to provide updates on this exciting program, but in the meantime, we invite you to watch a video to learn more about the Wings Poa kits!