NAIROBI (June 14th 2016) – Procter & Gamble (P&G), the makers of Ariel, Pampers and Always, have launched a campaign that will see the company keep over 10,000 girls in school for the next one year. This will be through providing them with free Always pads and puberty education. The girls will be picked from public primary schools.
P&G Kenya Managing Director, Mr. Vivek Sunder said that the company was proud to have been the pioneers of the sanitary pad distribution program in Kenya “P&G is known for being an innovator in its brands and has been able to take that to its social programs way back in 2006 when no one was publicly talking about the issue of menstruation. In fact studies suggest that around 66 per cent of girls know nothing about menstruation until confronted with their first menstruation event, making it a negative and sometimes even traumatic experience. As the brand with a 30 year heritage in educating and empowering girls and women, Always was determined to do something about it,” said Mr. Sunder.
In the last 10 years, the Always Keeping Girls in School has reached over 100,000 girls working through various partners and has given out over 8 million pads through on the program.
Our research has shown that in the schools we ran the programs, the girls were able to concentrate better in class, there was an improvement in their overall performance and attendance- all this due to the intervention done through the Always keeping girls in school partners.
Last year alone, the impact of the Always Keeping Girls in School programme which was conducted in Isiolo, Kajiado, Siaya, Marsabit, Laikipia, Samburu, Nyandarua and Narok was:
• 78% of schools have documented improved girls’ attendance
• 75% of adolescent girls reported stronger confidence in saving and money management
• 68% of the girls are more comfortable discussing sensitive topics with family members
• 60% of the girls acknowledge confidently refusing unwanted sexual advances
• 50% of the schools reported improved girls’ academic performance on 2015 national exams
With over 600,000 girls in Kenya entering puberty every year and a budget of 400 million allocated in the 2016/2017 budget, the program aims to complement the government’s efforts in keeping girls in school through sanitary pads, pants and puberty education provision..
From now until July 10 2016, any purchase of an Always duo pack at either a Nakumatt a Naivas supermarket or the various mini markets spread countrywide, P&G will donate one single pack to go towards the P&G Always Keeping Girls in School, which will go to providing free sanitary pads and puberty education to 10,000 girls in Kenya. To find out more about this program, please visit the Always Kenya facebook page or the PGKenya page.
Comments
Post a Comment