There was excitement at Muutine Community Ground, Igembe Central sub-county, as hundreds of schoolgirls received sanitary towels from the Meru County Women Representative, Elizabeth Kailemia, during celebrations to mark this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
The distribution exercise targeted girls from Grade 4 to Grade 9 across the County, with Kailemia announcing that each of the beneficiaries would receive five packets of sanitary towels to support them during their menstrual periods.
The Women Representative said the initiative aims to reduce absenteeism in schools caused by lack of menstrual products and to address the stigma and hardship many girls face during their menses due to financial constraints.
“We want to ensure that no girl in Meru County misses school because of lack of sanitary towels. “Education must not be interrupted by a natural biological process,” said Kailemia, adding, “We are committed to supporting every girl child so they can learn with dignity and confidence.”
She added that the programme will also help protect vulnerable girls from engaging in risky activities to get money for pads, which sometimes exposes them to early and unwanted pregnancies.
On the other hand, Kailemia strongly condemned the continued practice of FGM in parts of the Igembe region, expressing concern that some parents, especially mothers were still secretly sending their daughters to their grandmothers to undergo the unlawful rite.
She described the practice as retrogressive, harmful, and a violation of a girl’s dignity and rights.
“FGM is demeaning and destructive. It pushes girls out of school through early pregnancies and early marriages. During the cut, they are wrongly told they are now mature enough to start families. This must stop,” she said.
The Anti-FGM Day event was organised through a collaboration of the county government, national government agencies and several non-governmental organisations, including Ripples International, SODZO, Echo Network, SHOFCO, SOS children’s Village, Good Shepherd Sisters, YWCA Kenya and Inua Mama Mjane, among others.
Leaders termed the initiative a game changer for the community, noting that some areas have yet to fully abandon FGM. They emphasised the need for continued awareness, protection, and empowerment of girls.
“Our girls are the leaders of tomorrow. When they are harmed by FGM, we slowly destroy our future generations,” The Igembe Central Deputy County Commissioner Mercy Wamalwa noted, calling for collective responsibility in ending the harmful practice.
By Kamanja Maeria
