My experience: Alice Akinyi (15)

My name is Alice Akinyi, I am 15 years old. I am the third born in a family of six.

We live in Kajiado Town at a slum called Majengo. There are so many families living here. My school is called Saina primary. We have eight teachers and my class teacher is Mr Robert Agina. In our school we go for assembly on Monday and Friday. During one of the assembly days, the head teacher told us that there were visitors who were visiting our school. He told us also that they wanted 25 girls and 15 boys from class four to eight. We were so happy and everybody wanted to be in that group. When we went to our classroom, the class teacher came and selected five girls and three boys. I was selected and looked forward to meeting the visitors.

The following day, Mr Agina came with a visitor and introduced him as George Meme from Girl Child Network. George taught us about sexual maturation and the use of sanitary pads. He told us about the reproductive system of girls and boys. We felt embarrassed to see a man draw the reproductive system of a woman and all the boys were laughing. All the girls had their faces down. We could not even answer questions. Our science teacher is a woman and so we were shocked to see a man teach the reproductive system. He also told us about monthly periods and said that it is normal process for girls to bleed every month. He also taught us how to use sanitary towels. We took turns to demonstrate on how to put a sanitary towel on a panty. We were so excited to learn. I had not seen a sanitary towel before. We were given some to see and touch.

I remember when I first had my monthly periods, it was on a Sunday. We had arrived from church and we were playing football outside the house. I did not know that I had soiled my dress. My mother saw and she called me into the house. She told me to remove my dress and put on a clean one. When I removed my dress, I saw the red patch on it. I was so embarrassed. My mother called me and asked that I give that dress to her. She told me to sit next to her. She told me that the red patch was blood. She also said it was called monthly periods. She also gave me some pieces of cloth to use and showed me how to put on my panty. She went on to tell me to wash the used piece of cloth.

I did not go to school on Monday because I feared I will soil my dress while in school. I also feared boys teasing me. In the following month, when I received my periods, I was in school. My mother had given me the pieces of cloth the previous day. AWhile in class, I felt some pain in my stomach. I panicked because I knew the periods had started. I did not want to soil my dress. I excused myself and went to the latrine. I changed the piece of cloth and threw the soiled one inside the latrine because there was no water to wash it. While I was changing, I saw two boys peeping from the crack on the latrine door. I was so embarrassed. The following day I did not go to school until the bleeding stopped. After four days, I went to school and my class teacher punished me for being absent without permission.

It was after a month, when the girls latrine constructed by the Girl Child Network was completed. The latrine has four doors and a bathroom. We were so happy because we knew boys will not be peeping on us when using the latrine. The latrine was put far from those of the boys. The teacher told the girls to carry water to school for their use. Our school now has two water tanks with water. The head teacher also bought us bails to carry water to the bathroom. The girl-friendly latrines have helped us because we do not queue during break time. ‘When I go to the latrine as the lessons are on, I will come back and find the teacher still teaching in class.’