Aruna Varsani

When Culture Closes Its Eyes: The Menstrual Hygiene Gap. In Kajiado County, culture speaks loudly on many things, marriage, livestock, land, and respect. But on menstruation, culture chooses silence. That silence is not neutral. It is active, powerful, and damaging. Girls are taught from a young age that bleeding makes them unclean. They are forbidden from touching food, entering kitchens, drawing water, or even sitting with family during their periods. In many homes, they are separated and made to sleep in small, poorly ventilated huts until their bleeding stops. These practices are defended as tradition, but tradition has never explained why a girl must be isolated while given nothing clean to use. The result is devastating: girls use rags, cow dung, leaves, or even ash to manage their flow. They develop infections that go untreated because no one is allowed to speak of them. They miss school for days every month, fall behind, and eventually drop out. And because no one talks, no one...

  The Unspoken Failure of Protection Systems The news reports have documented that women in Bungoma County and around Mount Elgon are being coerced into exchanging sex for firewood. The Kenya Forest Service has responded that no cases have been formally reported to them. But this tells us nothing about whether the abuse is happening, and everything about whether anyone has created a pathway for survivors to speak. Consider what a woman or girl carries home from that forest. She carries firewood. She carries shame. And if she has been raped, she carries bleeding that is not her period but looks exactly like it to anyone who does not ask. Where does she go? To the local chief who drinks with the men controlling the forest? To a police station hours away that requires transport money and a written statement taken by a male officer who will ask why she was in the forest alone? To a health clinic that demands a fee for a post-rape exam and offers no clean cloth or pad to manage the af...

Fifth Win,  The true battleground was not the dark room or the treacherous path, but the ungovernable territory of her own body. The monthly arrival of her blood was a siege she faced in profound solitude, a crisis of biology that demanded perfect secrecy and flawless logistics. This internal rhythm, shared by half the world, was in her world a catastrophic vulnerability. Every cramp was not just pain, but a potential groan that might draw attention; every careful adjustment of her homemade cloth pad in the latrine's dim privacy was a high-stakes operation. A single misstep, a single tell-tale stain, could unravel everything. It could brand her as unclean, a source of disgust or a target for fury in her own home. Her victory was a silent, meticulous containment: the precise fold of the cloth, the secure pin, the art of lying perfectly still for hours to prevent any leak, all while breathing through waves of pain. To wake at dawn unstained was to have won a vital, invisible campai...

Fourth Win The last bell rang, and the school yard boiled with shouts and running feet. She waited, a quiet figure by the wall, until the big crowd thinned. Walking home alone was asking for trouble, but walking with everyone was just a different kind of trouble, too many eyes, too many elbows. She picked a family she knew from a nearby shamba, a mother with three younger children, and followed them at a careful distance. Their noise was a good cover. The hard knot of worry in her belly, which had loosened a little during lessons, pulled tight again. Getting home was its own fight. The red-dirt road was hot and open. Up ahead, near the broken-down tractor, some older herd boys from the secondary school were kicking a plastic bottle. She saw them see her. Her face went still and faraway, like she was looking right through the baobab tree at the side of the path. She slowed her steps just a little, letting the family ahead get closer. A boy whistled, low and long. She didn’t turn her hea...

Third Win The school compound, with its chipped plaster walls and dusty courtyard, was not a place of ease, but a different kind of battlefield. Her first victory had been surviving the night. Her second, conquering the treacherous path. The third win was to be wrested from the school day itself, a prolonged exercise in navigating a minefield of academic, social, and bodily threats. Her refuge was her desk at the back of the classroom, where she fought for a fragile concentration, forcing her mind from the memory of the morning’s river current to the lesson on the blackboard. The social landscape was its own subtle gauntlet; her mended uniform and wary silence marked her as separate from the girls with newer bags and easy laughter. A wrong answer that drew snickers felt not like a simple mistake, but a crack in the essential armor of invisibility she relied upon. Yet, the most profound and intimate danger was a silent, internal one: the ever-present fear of her own body. The threat o...

Second win. The moment she left the relative safety of the compound, the true scale of the morning's danger revealed itself. The path to school was a gauntlet of natural and human threats, each segment presenting a new test of her courage and wit. The first challenge was a river that swelled during the rainy season, turning from a gentle stream into a rushing, brown torrent. She had to carefully choose her crossing, her worn shoes slipping on the wet, submerged rocks, the current tugging fiercely at her legs. One misstep could mean being swept away, her schoolbag dragging her under. On the other side, the path wound through a stretch of dense brush where wild dogs sometimes prowled, and rumors of snakes kept her eyes glued to the ground. The rustle of leaves could signal a fleeing lizard or something far more dangerous, forcing her to freeze in place, heart pounding, until she was sure it was safe to move. Beyond the natural obstacles were the ever-present human dangers, which we...

First win, The girl lies perfectly still on her thin mat in the corner of the room, the darkness of the small house pressing in around her. Every sound from the other side of the cloth hanging that serves as her door sends a jolt of fear through her body. Her entire being is focused on listening, interpreting the noises from the main living area where her uncle sits. The heavy sound of his footsteps, the gruff tone of his voice, the sharp clink of a bottle, these are the signs that tell her what kind of night it will be. She has learned to categorize the sounds, to distinguish between the normal settling of the house and the movements that signal danger. When his footsteps move toward her room, her heart hammers against her ribs, and she holds her breath, praying the footsteps will continue past. This state of high alert lasts for hours, making real sleep impossible. She drifts in and out of a shallow, restless doze, her mind never fully switching off its guard, always ready to snap ba...

  An existing foundation can be a pillar to other great emerging concepts. This is what I engaged the department of fashion in Narok County.   I joined forces with the First Lady of Narok County, Her Excellency Agnes Ntutu and DTB Bank-Narok branch. Together we engaged 120 qualified tailors in a reusable sanitary pads training workshop.   This was an empowering menstrual hygiene activity that will also see the skilled tailors have oncome generating ventures

During the same ‘Wigs and Wings drive’ program visit at the Kenya National Hospital, I also interacted with male cancer patients. They did appreciate the visit and education around sanitary pads. Men experiencing prostate cancer raised a need concerning an innovation(s) that can sustain their health treatment and healing process. I am appealing to friends and well-wishers who can join me in this mission to come up with an innovation solution for the men. Reach out to me and let us continue creating avenues that boost healthy lives.    

Opportunities that see me join other like-minded groups in conducting impacting causes always delight me. October being a cancer awareness month, in collaboration with other partners through the, ‘wigs and Wings drive’, had me spend quality time with the female cancer patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital-shared the reusable pads which are plastic free. The pads will provide a healthy chemical-free living and also create a sustainable livelihood to the patients. October 27 th was a day well spent, I appreciate the organizers and other partners on board.

As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful tool with which you can change the world”. It was Mombasa volunteers turn to teach the 100 girls from Mbaraki and Bondeni primary School, who boarded the world’s largest floating book fair-Logos Hope Ship- skills on how to make reusable sanitary pads. This was a lifetime experience as the idea was just unique, Tailoring workshop inside the popular ship- together with Kenya Red cross society, they made it happen. I extend my gratitude to Kenya Ports Authority in collaboration with the Logos Hope for materializing this memorable session. The experience will forever float in these young girl’s minds as the coolest health transformational moment in their lives.

 In addition to these girls learning about safe menstrual hygiene, it is important to factor in sustainability methods of maintaining that management practice. These tailoring workshop for such hygiene menstruation helps the girls have sufficient products for use in our absence. Those days that we cannot be of reach from and they have to continue practicing, presence of this skills and pads will come in handy. This is why we equip them with the basic skills of hand stitching these pads without necessarily loosing grip of the quality to be maintained. I watched happily as the girls stitched their way out, securing a healthy future. Way to go girls.

Girls  deserve the right to basic needs. The right to gradually be the directors of our lives as we keep maturing in every phase of life. She deserves the right to education, and experiencing a fun teenage life. This is not the case for this 13-year-old, whose life path has been altered by another human being. Transactional sex in exchange for a sanitary pad. This girl, at 13 is now forced to deal with pregnancy load, a misfortune that was unforeseen. At this age as a minor, her lack of commodity, forcing her to make uninformed choice should not have happened. Yet this is a case of a perpetuator, taking advantage of her vulnerability. She is now forced to deal with the burden of being a teenage mother. This can turn into a lifetime of traumatizing experience. This is inhumane. Our minor girls are suffering in the hands of such. Stop this cruelty today! Support without asking for sex as a trade in.

This is an issue that I cannot emphasize enough. Any girl or woman menstruating has the right to education, access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The right to non-discrimination, non-stigmatization from both male or female human being. Menstruation in itself is a natural bodily function and should not be treated like an ailment. Girls deserve support, cooperation and empathy during these periods for their smooth stay -both at home, school and any other avenue they may be experiencing this. I extend my gratitude to everyone of you who has been part of these girl’s smooth process during their period.                         

Whenever I think about women, I think about what I have been able to learn, go and grow through. To stare at my reflection in the mirror and clap for myself with pride. This is what I envision other women going through. Being content about their journey, their potential and position they hold in their households and the community. She knows she has to take care of herself, aid in fetching for her family, support her loved one and nurture her kids. This is not a responsibility to her as a woman, it is her joy and she owns it with happiness. I see you and I appreciate you woman. 

  Most of us will find it strange to find groups of girls, women in the presence of a male figure -educating them on menstrual hygiene. I mean what do men know about a girl’s natural bodily function right? Only girls should attend to their same gender, right? Well, when it comes to menstruation, it is becoming a norm, males are starting to join these agendas and breaking from the societal norms. They are steadfast on supporting girls, as emotional support during menstruation period is key. Having male figures fetch for pads, assist with clean water for sanitation and any other help we women may need-is what these male advocates are championing for. They do not want to be left out of the equation. This is so reassuring.

When I look into her eyes I see courage, determination, innocence to learn and the vulnerability to receive support for the betterment of her livelihood. Her school has rolled the ball and provided her with a space for her to set her foundation straight. The path she chooses to follow will or may determine the outcome of her decisions. I must admit that there is a profound strength in a girl, girls. Straight from the start if you equip her with the right information and mechanisms to reinforce her ambition, she will achieve them. Are we out there to uplift girls in our society? As I write this, I can feel that yes, we are. Your endless support is truly heartwarming. Together we raise decent girls. Let’s do this

  Have you ever been in those moments where you struggle with your inner child dilemmas? Those curiosity moments that get you reminiscing some of the episodes of your childhood when your parents had to use coded language when referring to sensitive topics that were not children friendly? Those were the days By the age of 6 to 7 years old, most children beginning to understand periods or developing curiosity around their body changes topic -puberty is crucial . This teachable moment is crucial to introduce menstruation as a topic of interest.   Having interacted with such children I can confidently state that early  learning about body literacy  and menstruation early beats some ignorance and reduces a lot of myths and misconception in that way dimming the light of stigmatization and discrimination. I will  continue to find ways of incorporating both girls and boys on menstruation topic, creatively setting up the opportunity for them to unlearn and rel...

These Students at the Kenya Medical Training Institute were incredible. I admired their thirst to add more learning to their expertise. This day as we dwelt on safe Menstrual Hygiene Management, it was refreshing to notice that some of them were learning key information around menstrual hygiene for the first time. Men too are joining these conversations and it  feels really inclusive. This kind of rawness in their reception build my zeal to want to do more in terms of information dissemination for them and other young people around Kenya. Its always a true honor to educate and learn in the process. These interactions really spark conversations that are enlightening as far a girl’s menstrual topic is concern. I am Looking forward to more forums like this as we continue breaking barriers and burying myths and misconceptions around menstruation.

  Hosting policy makers, various comprehensive health stakeholders, and the Community of girls and women; the beneficiaries’ girls- is the avenue that the world needs. This maintains information chain flow and interaction is wired through every representative who are ambassador for this Menstrual Hygiene management path. This humbling day, June 8th, offered Together for B etter a chance to exhibit on at the prestigious Kenya Global Studio on Circular Economy is event -at the Norfolk Hotel-Nairobi, Kenya S howcase of our organization's vision and inputs to the primary community beneficiary and to the world was such a beautiful avenue for us . Our stand attracted various guests to discuss matters reducing period poverty through our reusable sanitary pads. Information dissemination to the world on safe menstrual hygiene management for girls. Looking forward to seeing what near future the present will unfold.