Support Ending Period Poverty

Project Status Overview
During this reporting period, no direct field activities were implemented; however, the project team made significant progress in strengthening NAPAD’s crowdfunding efforts. Key activities included enhancing accountability by integrating all donor contributions into NAPAD’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, ensuring complete transparency and traceability of funds. Simultaneously, improved documentation processes were established to systematically capture project performance data, generating evidence for future reporting and stakeholder engagement. Meanwhile, the communications team continued promoting the project on digital and social media platforms, raising awareness and encouraging donations to support menstrual health for girls in Mandera.

Communities in Mandera continue to experience persistent economic hardship, undermining families’ ability to purchase essential menstrual hygiene products. This is compounded by deep rooted cultural stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation that further discourages open discussion and reinforces barriers to girls’ sustained school attendance. Lack of access to affordable sanitary products and limited menstrual health education are well documented contributors to increased school absenteeism, with national analyses indicating that a significant proportion of girls and women in Kenya cannot afford adequate menstrual hygiene products and that menstrual stigma remains a pervasive social challenge.

Moreover, climate-related shocks, which disproportionately impact communities in Mandera, further exacerbate the vulnerabilities faced by adolescent girls, highlighting the urgent need for menstrual health support. NAPAD is systematically incorporating these socio-economic and cultural insights into targeted community engagement and refined messaging strategies to strengthen fundraising efforts and ensure that future project communications effectively share information on the multifaceted drivers and impact of period poverty.

Funding Gap
To date, the project has mobilized $25 in donor contributions through the GlobalGiving platform toward the overall $56,000 goal. This leaves a substantial funding gap that needs to be addressed.

Message to Donors and Call to Action
Your ongoing support remains critical to ending period poverty for vulnerable girls in Mandera County. Contributions to this initiative will be directly allocated toward providing menstrual hygiene kit supplies to 3,000 school going girls who currently lack reliable access to these essential products. The dignity kits will include quality sanitary pads, soap, underwear, and other hygiene items necessary for safe and hygienic menstrual management.

Access to menstrual products is not only a basic health and hygiene requirement; it is a fundamental enabler of consistent school attendance, improved educational outcomes, and gender equity. By addressing these immediate needs, your support empowers resilient girls to remain in school, participate fully in learning environments, and pursue their academic and life aspirations with dignity.

Together, we can ensure that menstruation is not a barrier to education, health, or opportunity but rather an aspect of life that girls manage safely, confidently, and without shame.