Lodwar – December 16, 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)

Women and girls in remote villages across Kibish, Turkana North, and Turkana West sub-counties have long relied on unhygienic homemade alternatives during menstruation. This practice has largely been driven by period poverty, limited access to sanitary towels, and low knowledge of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) attitudes and practices.

Common homemade alternatives include pieces of cloth woven into undergarments, black skirts, and traditional methods locally known as ethiaa.

Paulina Ewaat, a Community Health Promoter (CHP) from Kokuro Community Unit, recalls how women in her community improvised sanitary protection several years ago.

“We used pieces of clothing, cut them into small pieces, then wove them into innerwear and knotted them in pairs to have a spare,” she explained.

“Once used, they would be washed and kept for reuse,” she added.

According to Paulina, the practice continued even after disposable sanitary towels were introduced, noting that some of the available products did not fully address users’ needs.

“Some women experienced itching and burning sensations after using certain pads bought from the market,” she said.

She expressed appreciation for the County Government’s interventions aimed at addressing menstrual health challenges, especially among school-going girls who are at risk of infections.

Due to affordability challenges and, in some cases, factory-related quality issues causing discomfort, many girls reverted to homemade methods.

“If we can access reusable sanitary towels alongside proper education on their use and management, it will help us greatly,” she noted.

Using a human-centred design approach, the County Government, in collaboration with Welthungerhilfe and LOKADO, is engaging communities to explore acceptable and sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions. The joint team is also assessing nomadic lifestyles in hard-to-reach areas of Turkana to ensure interventions are context-appropriate.

School Health Coordinator Rael Akoru highlighted that the programme actively engaged communities to understand their perceptions, menstrual management practices, and the impacts of poor MHM.

She emphasized that adopting safe menstrual health practices can reduce period poverty, improve hygiene practices, and eliminate menstrual stigma.

LOKADO WASH Liaison Officer Dennis Ekiru noted that limited guidance from parents and heads of households on menstrual health—both at home and in schools—remains a major challenge.

He added that menstrual hygiene management has historically been underfunded within WASH programmes, calling on partners to support MHM and address barriers such as stigma, competing household priorities, and limited resources.

“MHM has been neglected for a long time due to its sensitive nature, increasing the vulnerability of young girls and women of reproductive age to suffer in silence,” he said.

Mariam Lotieng’, a CHP from Nayook Community Unit, shared that women in Kaikor were previously empowered to make homemade sanitary towels through knitting.

She explained that the cost of purchasing disposable sanitary pads had become an economic burden for many vulnerable households.

“The homemade options were preferred because they could be reused, unlike disposable pads that were often poorly disposed of due to limited knowledge,” she said.

“We would take a piece of cloth, fold it several times to absorb, use it, wash it, and reuse it,” she added.

Mariam further noted that most local shops rarely stock sanitary pads due to low demand driven by widespread poverty.

She urged the County Government and partners to intensify awareness efforts, improve accessibility, and equip communities with skills to produce reusable sanitary towels similar to those introduced during sensitization sessions.

Women Global Health Initiative Officer Billha Akona stated that the organisation has designed safe and sustainable alternatives for managing menstrual hygiene.

“These include reusable sanitary absorbents and menstrual cups, which are more efficient than disposable sanitary towels,” she said, adding that they are absorbent, leak-proof, cost-effective, eco-friendly, long-lasting, and safe for users.

The team also conducted a community risk assessment to identify MHM needs, evaluate proper use of sanitary towels, and assess existing disposal practices.

“We noted that in some areas, reusable towels had been improperly disposed of, indicating partial adoption but limited knowledge on correct use and management,” Billha observed.

Kibish Location Chief Robert Asurut welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and noting positive feedback from community members who are ready to embrace reusable sanitary towels.

Community Health Workers from Kataboi, Nachukui, Kokuro, Kibish, Kaikor, Kaaleng’, Kaeris, Naduat, Natiira, and Oropoi also welcomed the initiative and committed to promoting safe menstrual hygiene practices and proper disposal methods.

They pledged to create awareness through community health and education committees to increase demand and sustain adoption.