Last month, I featured five women; Makena Barasa, Kwale County First Lady Christine Mvurya, Lucy Njenga, Elsie Wandera and Esther Mbugua-Kimemia -all of who are champions of menstrual health. You can read that post here.
In the article, I asked you, my dear readers, to share details of any other women who are doing amazing work regarding menstrual health and menstrual hygiene so that I can share their stories which I hope can in turn inspire someone else.
One avid Mummy Tales reader, Joseph Otieno responded to this call by informing me about the work of the Homa Bay County First Lady H.E Mrs Rocila Awiti, who uses her platform to promote the empowerment of girls and women in Homa Bay. Mrs. Awiti is a menstrual health champion who is involved in the mobilization and distribution of sanitary towels to needy girls across the County.
Part of her strategy is her continuous participation in different community dialogues with parents, teachers and girls, where they discuss different topics on women’s and girl’s health, including menstruation. The forums serve as good platforms to openly discuss some of the challenges that girls face during their menses, and how they can be overcome. The sessions also help tackle issues of how to break the silence associated with menstruation.
The First Lady says she is committed to the vision of an ’empowered girl child’, one who is free from the discrimination and stigmatization brought upon by cultural taboos. To enhance her vision, she partners with different entities, among them: government departments, NGOs operating in the County, as well as other Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) stakeholders. They all work together in the mobilization of and planning for resources, and ensuring that girls and young women both in-school and out-of-school benefit from these interventions.
The Homa Bay County First Lady is a family health practitioner, and is particularly keen on issues of gender-based violence in the community. She is also involved in campaigns to reduce new HIV infections, infant and maternal deaths in the County.
So that’s a brief about the work of the Mrs. Awiti Homa Bay County First Lady. If you, just like her, are a menstrual health champion or if you know of any other person who is, you can share the details about your/their work by emailing me at maryanne@mummytales.com and I’ll feature them here on Mummy Tales.
Also Read: 5 Kenyan Women Champions of Menstrual Health
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