 Thank you for staying with us on Y254 News Updates and tonight we talk about menstrual health. And maybe in the menstrual health awareness month with me in studio is Gladys Makenna, who is a nurse by profession. And she's going to help us understand how do we get to her in the stigma that is attached to menstruation. How do girls and women also be able to acquire or to get sanitary towers that are affordable during their periods. And you can be part of this conversation by sharing your views on our social media platforms that is on Y254Channel, Ashtag Y254 News and you can also reach me at Patricia Murioki 3. Thank you very much Gladys for finding time to really come and talk with us on this issue. It is a topic that I can say many people don't like talking about it, hopingly. But with he as we have grown we cannot say like we were at 5 years or 10 years ago as far as menstruation is concerned. And my first question would be what exactly what is menstrual hygiene for someone out there who is watching us tonight? Okay, thank you so much Patricia. You're welcome. Menstrual hygiene, it's whereby you speak of sanitation, you speak of water, and you speak of a better place where the girls or women can be able to change their sanitary pads and dispose the right way. So when we are speaking of menstrual hygiene, it's a combination of all those things to make it possible for a woman, to be comfortable during her menstruation days, so that is all about menstrual hygiene. You've talked about water, you've talked about sanitation. Would we say that probably all those things are there? Can we say that there is access to enough infrastructure as far as having a good menstrual hygiene is concerned? Currently we are somewhere as a country, but we can't say we are at that point. Because you find in some places there is no water whereby these girls need to wash their hands after changing their pads, whereby these girls need a safe place where they can change their pads and dispose them properly. So we still have a long way to go, we are not there yet. Okay, so what do you think has some of the ways, what do you think are some of the strategies that can be put to make sure that those areas whereby girls do not really have enough water, or those areas whereby probably there are not even places where they can go and change their schools probably whereby there are no latrins, there are no changing spaces. What can we do, what strategies can be put there to make sure that this is not a problem anymore? You find so far so good, there are some NGOs that come part with the government, the partnership together. Example we have the PNG where they partner with the government, the counties and the schools and they take the education to the kids no matter where they are. But for the government they can be able to build better infrastructures in the schools. Kus in the county level they are able to know which school needs these, which school does not have latrins, which school does not have a toilet, which school does not have water. So with that it's partnership, the government itself has a role to play and the NGOs can come hand in hand so that we can be able to fight this battle together. So we need to work on it. Okay, so let us talk about stigmatization. There's a lot of stigma that is attached to menstruation, people do not want to talk about it. People do not want to openly sit somewhere and discuss about menstruation. So how do we end stigmatization? Okay, as for me, my mum took long to speak about menstruation but the time we heard the talk I was already menstruating. So I think for parents to begin with they should start speaking about these things with their girls from the age of maybe 9 years because that's the age when girls are able to start menstruation from 9 years and above a girl can start menstruating. So the parents have an obligation of starting the talk early and also the schools, they can try to bring in the health from the kids both girls and boys because we go different through periods of puberty. Girls have their own problems in puberty, boys have their own role to play in puberty but the moment we are taught together it becomes easy to understand each other to know the changes that are affecting both parties. So the stigma itself is going to somehow be finished by the teaching of the boys and girls together about these things not telling the girls to go aside and the boys to go aside but to do a class that is one. Okay, so we know that during menstruation it is not easy there are the moods, there is also like the menstruation disorders and whether there is a period pain. So how do young ladies, how do girls, what are the best mechanisms to cope with all these that come because I understand that there are different disorders there probably someone whose period is going to take a longer time to come someone probably who is going to miss their period probably in May and it's going to come in June. So how do we get to address such problems or what is the best way for a person who is experiencing that problem what approach should you advise them to take as a nurse? Okay, to begin with you find when someone begins menstruation it doesn't come every month at times it escapes a month, two months then after that the periods are there back again but for the period pain there are ways that you can know among most menstruating as a woman or as a girl you find there are signs maybe you feel the swaness on the breast you feel those mood swings that you are talking about you feel maybe an increased appetite maybe there is increase in the vaginal discharge but there is ways that you can cope with that because for the mood swings one thing it's you to control them I know they are there and people understand the mood swings are there but as a woman you also have to know how to control them when you come to the pain during menstruation most of the time you tell the young girls it's good to maybe if you have a bottle maybe a plastic bottle you can put hot water in it then you can rub the lower part of your belly also after that if you are in class or maybe you are working and you feel that cramping pain you can be able to breathe in and to breathe just breathe in and to breathe out if not that you can also do some exercises because the more you do exercise you are able to relax the muscles so you just take a walk if not that you can even go to school time for the girls you can just take a round through the field and at the end of it you won't feel some relief from that but if that does not work it doesn't mean you don't seek a medical consult if it's severe pain whereby you can't control it you can speak to maybe the teacher who is in school or maybe you can speak to your parents at home it may be your dad, your mum that's where we are saying it's good to be comfortable with both parents maybe mum is at work dad is available so you can speak to either of them then they can take you to the doctor or to the nearest pharmacy and you can get something to drink you've talked about medication and most times people come out and say that it is not advisable to take medication when you have your periods that is probably to try and get rid of the period pain what are the advantages of taking medication during to relieve period pain? not really but the fact that you take the right medication you have to go to the right doctor or to the right pharmacy for you to get the right medication because you may find someone out there is not sure which doctor to give but if you go to the right doctor that is qualified you are able to get the right medication from that okay, so now we've always talked about when should we have the sex conversations with our daughters and our sons when should we have the menstruation talk because most times you've just said that by the time your mother was having the conversation you'd already started your menstruation so we assume that we know that at the age of 13 that is when puberty begins and most parents will wait at 13 to probably have the conversation with their kids but based on how things are changing the type of foods that kids are consuming these days you find that a 9-year-old girl already probably is having her periods so how do, what time really should parents start having these conversations with their kids before you get to like how do they get to do it okay, so from the age of 9 years our girl is able to go through the process of puberty I know some people they start late puberty but from as early as 9 years the parents should be comfortable speaking to their daughters about puberty and about menstruation this means but if you find that your daughter is able to understand what is happening you know sometimes maybe they are young but the body says does not matter what matters is that they are at the age bracket where they are supposed to begin the menstruation so as a parent you should feel comfortable start with easy words not difficult words then they are able to understand from 9 years and above you are okay to start it up okay, so now for a parent having this talk with their daughter what information should they give what information are you supposed to give your daughter to make sure that she is well equipped she knows how to go about it she knows like how she is supposed to clean during her periods she understands basically everything during that time of the month okay from a parent's view but I think or what I know is that a parent should be able to begin with the basics like telling them this is a natural thing that happens to every woman they have to be made known from the beginning it's not a straight thing it's not a curse it's something that has to happen and you make them comfortable by letting them know the moment you become a woman their responsibilities it's an extra responsibility that has come onto you and you make the kid feel comfortable with the changes not to feel like hiding them up because they are happening so for a parent who is beginning can just tell you it's natural it happens I'm also menstruating as a parent up to 50 years and above that's when maybe you get menopause that's when you come to the end of menstruation but for now in the journey together just make it like a just a fun talk you and your daughter then from there you can teach them about how to use the pads by demonstrating how it's used how to wash the panty properly the sides of a panty because a panty has 3 sides so this is how the pad is also divided into 3 pads that you are able to use the pads correctly so that you cannot have any leaking or anything or maybe you feel like it's itching or something there is a strategy that you can put it and you are comfortable using it then from there after demonstration you don't demonstrate only once for the kids maybe you can do twice or twice for them to understand keenly and tell them to do a return demonstration so they can be sure of what the mami has told them or auntie or sister because sometimes some kids are comfortable with their sisters or maybe an aunt then from there you can teach them about taking a shower maybe twice in the morning and in the evening or maybe from that you can teach them to hang their panties outside of any infection or to wash their hands it's basically those things we've talked about mam we've talked about sister we've talked about aunties we have daughters we have young girls who are being raised by single fathers and we are trying to create an environment whereby when it comes to a point about the father needs to have the conversation with their daughter they don't have to go and look for the auntie they don't have to go and look for the grandmother to come and have this conversation so how do we now get to bring this single father on the table and make him understand that you can also do it you can also manage to guide your daughter through this stage in their life ok so far so good this is a program that is running called always keeping girls in school plus boys by Bethelene PNG you find that when you go to that classroom you teach both girls and boys to a point that I know the boys wonder most of them they wonder why am I in this class because they can't see always over here so why am I here but the essence of them being there it's because we want to nurture them from a young age teaching them they're going to be fathers in future they're going to be husbands in future and they have to know what happens not like when maybe your daughter is crying their husband is not able to understand what's happening they don't know where to begin but the moment you start teaching them from a young age about menstruation about what happens in a woman's body about what to expect you find from that young age they grow up knowing these things but so far so good I know most of the fathers out there they were never taught about that but we try and incorporate them in the classes as you teach maybe on appearance day you can teach the parents how to use pads you just demonstrate to both fathers and mothers on how to use these pads plus also they can ask a consultant maybe from those sisters who are there so they can teach them how to do it and make it easy for the daughters to approach them so now we're talking about teaching the kids from home on how to deal with the menstruation we have education in school in class 6 we get to learn about the reproductive system and all that is that information that is offered in school enough to make sure that a girl is well prepared when their periods comes probably if mum and dad have not had the conversation with you is it enough? can we say it is enough? it's not enough but at least the teachers try and make it adequate for the children in school but that's why after the teacher teaches they expect maybe the parents at home they are going to pick up the conversation from somewhere but it's not enough the parents need to check in okay so now what can teachers do what can the teachers now probably adopt to make sure that when they are teaching that they don't only get to tell you that all these happens you're going to have menstruation probably once in a month this is what causes it what more can they do to make sure that there is enough information to the students to also understand everything most of the times when you go to the schools you find that the students maybe they fear the teacher somehow so it's good if you are the teacher who deals with health in the schools or guidance and counselling for one you can be a bit a bit comfortable you can make some comfort zone for you and the girls whereby any girl can approach you not with fear of maybe this teacher is going to be tough maybe the teacher is going to be like this the moment you create an environment where these girls can approach you they can also be able to get confidence in you whereby they can be able to listen to you they are going to ask you any questions they have and they are going to get comfortable so for the teachers it's good if there is that environment where a girl can approach you where even though it's a male teacher or a female teacher they are confident in approaching the teacher knowing that they are going to get help from there what is the role of men in menstrual health because we are talking that we want to bring them on the table we are talking about having single dads out there we are raising daughters but what really is it that we get to get by making sure that the boys and the men are also educated on menstruation ok so what we get from that is that the stigma is going to decrease in the society whereby there is not a single girl using class 6 or class 7 or class 5 is going to start the menstruation and maybe she has changed her dress and the boys are jingling or laughing towards her the moment you teach them on these that these things happen to girls at any time and it's possible sometimes to mess you find that the stigma is going to reduce in the society and women are going to get comfortable and confident around the boys around at workplaces knowing that these people understand what we are going through so their role is to understand us and also to support us during these periods ok now talking about products that are used during menstruation we have the pads we have now the menstrual cup we have the tampons I want us to look at the fact whereby there is a research that was done among girls young girls in western Kenya and most of them said that they prefer having been given it was like an experimental program but they were given the menstrual cups and tampons to try and see if the girls would embrace it and most of them say that they prefer using that because there are less cases of leakage but now there is a society where there are communities whereby they do not really advocate for using menstrual cups or tampons so how do we get now to try to bring and go to the rural areas and educate these women that yes we are getting like this is a problem probably you feel that you don't feel that as a society you are going to embrace it but how do we get to teach them and show that it is an option that probably could save the girls from all these things but how do we come out with menstruation to begin with someone has to be first be comfortable with the fact that menstruation is here and it's own blood it's own body content it's not something that is dirty or something that is going to scare you off so by getting comfortable with that you find that most of these reusable things is that people maybe most of the society they feel uncomfortable with washing them out or maybe they feel like it's not hygienic but the moment you follow the right steps on using them maybe with the pads the reusable pads then you hang them properly then you use them again one thing for that they are cheaper the point that when the moment you buy one you can use it for a period of maybe a year by the right sanitation washing it properly with hot water you hang it outside for it to dry properly then you can use it up for the cups you have to boil them up so you can disinfect them from infection it's the fact that it's blood so it sounds weird but it's your own blood and it's coming from your own body so the moment you're comfortable with that you find it's easy for you to use them so the kid thing is comfort talking about the reusable pads these are things that you have to clean so well for you to use them again can we say that probably if we introduced reusable pads in trokana if we introduced these reusable pads in rural areas of this country whereby there is scars there is a lot of scarcity in some things like water and all that do these girls have enough knowledge to know probably how they are supposed to clean it do we really know that they are not exposing these kids or these girls to diseases or infections before the girls and the women are giving the products they have to go through education and training you have to train them on how to use them you have to train them on the advantages on the disadvantages but you find those areas there is minimal water there is no enough water for them to use so I think the government before we get to giving the pads to those areas of the country at least we need to have water because they need water to wash them and they need the clean water so they can afford any infections but for now I think water should be the basic thing according to the menstrual health menstrual health Kenya 65% of women cannot afford pads and according to statistics at least 10 million women are going through menstruation so how do we now make sure that these things are affordable the pads the tarpods they made how do we make sure that no girl is going to lax sanitary towels because she does not have the pads that no woman at any days going to choose between having a meal and having a pad how do we create a balance and make sure that every person is comfortable in every month when they have to go through the menstruation period you find in the market at the moment there are pads that are worth 50 shillings and when you go to the school level you find the government some of the schools give girls with sanitary pads maybe for a term if not so you find that the end years they chip in so they can boost the number of pads that the school is going to have that month but the moment you go to the school level you should try at least and teach them how to do savings because if a girl is given 20 shillings she can spend 10 bob and then save the other 10 shillings if she is given maybe within 3 days or maybe within a week this girl is able to save maybe up to 50 shillings so they can get a packet of pads for that one month but also we have to chat the parents to be a bit responsible whereby they know their daughters are menstruating and they can be able to get them at least a packet of pads per month the school is able to boost whereby the government get some pads for them but also as an individual as a parent we can try and be able to give our children at least the money to get the sanitary pads for the women the market is broad and it doesn't it's not a good picture to go and get money from someone to go and have sex for it to get sanitary towels it's more but then there's the argument of should these things even be priced or should they just be for free should these things be taxed should there be VAT on pads because Scotland actually was working on a to make sure that pads are free and I don't know where they've gotten with that there are changes probably that also needs to be done on the side of the government probably like the pads for free or there's no VAT on the sanitary towels to make it easy and affordable for me I think that would be a good thing to be the perfect thing because you're going to be able to get them at an easier price for everyone so if the government is able to do that for us they should do that for us we really appreciate as you wind up how do we end period shame how do we end period shame one thing is that as we said we should begin to know that this thing is natural it's here and to know that as a girl I'm going to get my menstruation and the moment our parents are preparing us for this thing from an early age you find you're going to get comfortable about it and you're going to embrace the fact that you have an extra responsibility like for me always tell the girls that I teach that the moment you begin your menstruation it's an extra responsibility it makes you responsible to the society to yourself it makes you feel more proud and you always have a slogan with them that the moment you get your menstruation it's like you are somehow disappointed so it's crying so you always say ah it's crying so let it cry until we are ready for more responsibilities so for now I think we should just embrace it as women that this is part of us this is here to stay and the moment we do that and our men are able to be part of it and they are able to understand us we are going to be comfortable of us do you have programs whereby you really work on concentrate on teaching guiding young girls on menstruation do you have such programs and probably how can people reach you to get that information probably there is a teacher someone who is wishing that they would have a person like you come talk to the girls how can people get to contact you one thing there is the always keeping girls in school that is done by the always the PNG and by the network and we have been to 17 counties so far so good we do life skills puberty and menstruation so the moment you cover life skills about self awareness self esteem you make this girl first understand who she is then from there you come to puberty you show them these things are here they are happening then you come to the menstruation part so you have covered the whole bit of this girl so you can reach out on PNG and by the network thank you very much glad is for really finding time to talk about this and I'm so happy that we can actually see it up such a conversation and it's my hope that through this month lot has been done and people now can embrace menstruation that is how we hand for you tonight on Y254 news my name is Patricia Muroki do of yourselves a very good night