All Kenyan schoolgirls are to get free sanitary pads, the government has said!
It is hoped the move will improve access to education in a country where many cannot afford sanitary products like pads and tampons.
According to the UN’s education agency, one in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their period.
Some girls reportedly lose 20% of their education for this reason, making them more likely to drop out of school altogether.
The amendment to the education act, signed into law by President Uhuru Kenyatta this week, states “free, sufficient and quality sanitary towels” must be provided to every girl registered at school, as well as providing “a safe and environmental sound mechanism for disposal”.
It comes more than a decade after Kenya scrapped taxes on sanitary products in an effort to make them more affordable.
Despite this, some 65% of women and girls still find them too expensive, according to figures cited in a 2016 report by non-profit consulting firm FSG.
Source: BBC