P.E.I. student helps make feminine hygiene kits for girls in Kenya
Noah Richardson | CBC News | Posted: May 13, 2017 1:00 PM | Last Updated: May 13, 2017
'Without them they're held back in a lot of different ways.'
An Island high school student wants to do her part to give girls in Kenya access to feminine hygiene kits.
As part of a final project for her global issues class, Rachel Adams, a Grade 12 student from Kinkora, P.E.I., is partnering with Days for Girls, an international non-profit organization that helps provide women and girls in developing countries with menstrual kits and health education.
Adams will spend her Saturday afternoon at the Borden-Carleton Public Library working with volunteers to cut strips of fabric, which will eventually be sewn into reusable feminine hygiene kits for girls in the Mikinduri region of Kenya.
Without them [the menstrual kits] they're held back in a lot of different ways.
- Grade 12 student Rachel Adams
The Kinkora Regional High School student said without the reusable pads, girls in countries like Kenya can miss out on their education.
"Without them [the menstrual kits] they're held back in a lot of different way," Adams said. "It really affects their education, where often times they aren't even allowed to go to school when they're on their period. If they are, they don't have access to washrooms or any sort of products to get them through the day."
Adams said organizations like Days for Girls make a difference by giving women and girls access to the much-needed supplies.
'A lot of people haven't even heard about it'
This is the first time Adams has been involved with a project for Days for Girls. She said she has support from the Island's chapter of Days for Girls for this weekend's event.
Adams said she has a strong interest in women's health issues and would eventually like to pursue a career in international health. She said she's been focusing her efforts on educating her community on the importance of women's health, including through presentations to junior high school students.
"I've been putting up posters at my own school," she said. "I'm just trying to get the issue across, because a lot of people haven't even heard about it before."
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