More Girls to Benefit from Procter & Gamble Always Campaign

Over 10,000 public primary school girls are set to benefit from free Always sanitary towels and puberty education from Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the next one year and over 600,000 pads to be donated to class seven and eight students.

P&G Managing Director Mr. Vivek Sunder said that the company was proud for being the pioneers of the sanitary pad distribution program in Kenya.

“P&G is known for being an innovator in its brands and has been able to take that to its social programs way back in 2006, when no one was publicly talking about issues of menstruation,” said Mr. Sunder.

Research has shown that about 66 percent of girls are not aware of menstruation until when they experience it for the first time, which gets them unprepared. This first experience is never taken positively by most of these girls, thus making menstruation seem to be a traumatic time for them.

“As a brand with a 30- year heritage in educating and empowering girls and women, Always was determined to do something about it,” added Mr. Sunder.

Read: Help a Girl Stay in School by Purchasing a Duo Pack of Always Sanitary Pads

He Urged consumers to purchase Always duo packs from any Tuskys or Nakumatt outlet near them and by so doing, they will be providing one pack of Always to help keep a girl in school for a whole month.

In the past ten years, the Always Keeping Girls in School Program has been able to reach over 100,000 girls in partnership with various organizations and in the process, it has given out over 8 million sanitary towels.

Last year, some counties that benefited from their program included Isiolo, Kajiado, Siaya, Marsabit, Laikipia, Samburu, Nyandarua and Narok. This program has been proven to have great impact on the girls and a good number of them are able to stay in school during their periods, thus improving in their performance as compared to the times when they used to stay at home.

The program not only helps in improving class performances for the girls but their self-esteem and confidence is also lifted. Puberty education has enabled them to be able to express themselves to family members and friends on very sensitive matters affecting them.

The Always Keeping Girls in School Program also complemented the support from the government through the Ministry of education who have collaborated with them in executing the program in schools countrywide. The government allocated Sh.400 million for sanitary towels for girls in school in the 2016/2017 budget.