When 14-year-old Sharon stands up in the classroom at her school in Kitengela, Kenya, there is something special about her. Her bold confidence and joy shine brightly. But she tells me that was not always the case.
It is one of my greatest pleasures to meet these beautiful young women and others like them all over the world. Today I have the honor of handing the girls their three-month supply of pads and watching the smiles and genuine expressions of gratitude spread across their faces. They share their stories with me, and I am once again amazed at what God can do through small acts of love.
Sharon tells me she used to tell her mother that she wished she was not a girl because it is so difficult. She shares about friends who have taken their own lives because of the shame and stigma of menstrual poverty. Since the hygiene dignity program, she says she is now happy to be a girl. She has newfound confidence and is proud of who she is.
Michell, Jane, and Angel are three friends who lean on each other to get through the hard times. Their parents don’t have money to provide for their needs, and they say they are very grateful for the pads they receive.
A bright girl named Neema tells me her parents don’t have money to provide for her hygiene needs so she would use old pieces of clothes, which led to infections. She said, “I thought that menstruation was a taboo. I felt embarrassed, but I’ve come to realize it is a natural process.”
Neema says before the program she found it difficult to concentrate in class because she was concerned about embarrassment and missing school. Now, as she explains it, she feels “free” and her performance at school has improved. She looks forward to the future.
When I asked what she wants to do, she confidently answers, “I want to do mass communications. I want to be a show presenter; I want to do what you do.” And I believe Neema can accomplish whatever she puts her mind to. With your help, her future is bright!
The words I hear repeatedly are, “Thank you!” Neema says it beautifully: “We have been gladly waiting for this day. When I saw you, I was like, we pray that God will continue to shower you with His blessings. To the donors I would like to say thank you for what you are doing. Through these pads that you give us, you are showing us God’s love. We are happy. Now I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
