Sanitary Products for the Girls of Loita, Kenya
Donation protected
While in Kenya in February, I had the opportunity to meet several professors at the Loita Girls Secondary School. Loita is a region in southwestern Kenya that is primarily inhabited by the Maasai people. The rural and pastoral way of life, long and difficult travel between villages, and low access to a range of goods and services can make resourcing local communities especially challenging. The impacts of the pandemic have been significant, one being reduced spending power and low access to sanitary products for families in and around Loita. Primary and secondary schools are currently out of session until April 26, and many students are now without the structure and day-to-day resources these settings typically offer.
Sadly and significantly, sanitary napkins can be wielded by men as an incentive to coerce sex with girls and women in the community, increasing the risk of assault and early and unwanted pregnancies. My contacts at the school approached me to help support an initiative to fundraise for the purchase of sanitary towels for roughly 200 girls and women in Loita while school is out of session. Their long-term goal is to set up a community-based organization to support these goals in a sustained manner.
The necessity for these products extends well beyond intended and evident hygenic uses. Deploying these resources can empower Maasai girls and women in Loita to continue going to school without the risk of sexual coercion and early and unwanted pregnancy. The initial goal was for /=28,000 Ksh, or roughly $250 USD. This amount would support 200 girls and women with sanitary napkins for two months. I thought that we could reasonably seek more than that, so I have set the goal at $1,000 USD, which could then fund the purchasing of more sanitary products, deployment in community, and potential educational opportunities throughout the spring and summer.
I would send the total fundraised amount directly to staff at the Loita Girls Secondary School so they could purchase and coordinate the distribution of these products in the surrounding community. Receipts will be provided, and I will gladly send screenshots as well as photos and testimonials to display how far your generous donations have gone to support and empower the girls of Loita. Thank you for your support, and please share widely!
Only 20 donations at $50 would allow us to hit our goal. Can you commit to donating this amount to support girls' health in Loita, Kenya?
**All photos taken by staff at Loita Girls Secondary School.
**A little about me... I have worked in politics and political campaigns in Minneapolis since 2016, frequently within the East African and Somali communities. Friendships established in these spaces allowed for me to travel to Kenya for a month earlier this year. I was lucky enough to travel through the Loita Plains for over a week with my friends Lanet, Saitoti and Mike, experiencing life in the Maasai community, and establishing relationships which led to the creation of this GoFundMe. If you don't know me and would like to verify who I am, please go to LinkedIn or Facebook. Thank you!
Sadly and significantly, sanitary napkins can be wielded by men as an incentive to coerce sex with girls and women in the community, increasing the risk of assault and early and unwanted pregnancies. My contacts at the school approached me to help support an initiative to fundraise for the purchase of sanitary towels for roughly 200 girls and women in Loita while school is out of session. Their long-term goal is to set up a community-based organization to support these goals in a sustained manner.
The necessity for these products extends well beyond intended and evident hygenic uses. Deploying these resources can empower Maasai girls and women in Loita to continue going to school without the risk of sexual coercion and early and unwanted pregnancy. The initial goal was for /=28,000 Ksh, or roughly $250 USD. This amount would support 200 girls and women with sanitary napkins for two months. I thought that we could reasonably seek more than that, so I have set the goal at $1,000 USD, which could then fund the purchasing of more sanitary products, deployment in community, and potential educational opportunities throughout the spring and summer.
I would send the total fundraised amount directly to staff at the Loita Girls Secondary School so they could purchase and coordinate the distribution of these products in the surrounding community. Receipts will be provided, and I will gladly send screenshots as well as photos and testimonials to display how far your generous donations have gone to support and empower the girls of Loita. Thank you for your support, and please share widely!
Only 20 donations at $50 would allow us to hit our goal. Can you commit to donating this amount to support girls' health in Loita, Kenya?
**All photos taken by staff at Loita Girls Secondary School.
**A little about me... I have worked in politics and political campaigns in Minneapolis since 2016, frequently within the East African and Somali communities. Friendships established in these spaces allowed for me to travel to Kenya for a month earlier this year. I was lucky enough to travel through the Loita Plains for over a week with my friends Lanet, Saitoti and Mike, experiencing life in the Maasai community, and establishing relationships which led to the creation of this GoFundMe. If you don't know me and would like to verify who I am, please go to LinkedIn or Facebook. Thank you!
Organizer
Graham Faulkner
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN