Diamond Trust Bank donates reusable menstrual pads to Kilifi schoolgirls

Over 1,100 school girls in Kilifi County will benefit from quality reusable menstrual health products donated by the Diamond Trust Bank.

The donation is courtesy of the flagship #AchieveMoreGirl initiative launched on Wednesday, October 11.

It is a culmination of countrywide efforts that have seen 5,000 school girls receive reusable menstrual kits in Narok, Homa Bay and Nyandarua counties.

The handover at Ng’ombeni Girls Secondary School was carried out in partnership with Together for Better Foundation, founded by Aruna Varsani.

The rollout of the initiative in Kilifi County is informed by its low transition rates from primary to secondary and secondary to tertiary levels of education.

This has led to early and unintended teenage pregnancies impeding girls’ education.

DTB corporate chief manager Mombasa branch, Mustaq Dar, said the efforts will help keep girls in school.

"Our presence here today is informed by the high levels of poverty within Kilifi’s population which has led to a high number of school dropouts. This correlates with the high rates of teenage pregnancies that force many girls to abandon their education," he said.

"As such, the #AchieveMoreGirl initiative is an all-inclusive effort that aims to boost the retention of girls in school by providing them with sustainable menstrual kits, mentorship and counselling to reduce their vulnerability to external pressures that might keep them away from their education."

Kilifi County Chief Youth and Gender Officer Prudence Kwekwe said girls are a priority as the county seeks to reduce teen pregnancies and early marriages. 

"The effort today is in line with the county’s Quality Education pillar that seeks to improve the learning environment for the children in this county," he said.

The #AchieveMoreGirl initiative was created in 2020 when the DTB invested Sh50 million to support 30,000 schoolgirls from vulnerable communities to access quality menstrual health products over five years.

So far, over 18,000 girls have benefited from the effort, which has reduced school absenteeism among adolescent girls and improved their access to quality education.