Farmer on Fire donates 700 units of period panties to vulnerable women in Murang’a County

Farmer on Fire Limited Founder and Chief Executive Officer Wangari Kuria says the move is aimed at shunning period poverty in farming communities in a bid to improve lives by ensuring women farmers do not miss a day of work and for their school going girls not to miss school due to monthly periods.

“We want to reduce the financial burden of women in low income agriculture professionals who are hard hit by high inflation. They do not have to dig into their economically strained pockets to manage their monthly periods. It has made these women smile to feel seen and accepted because they are the vulnerable and forgotten,” said Kuria during the donation ceremony in Makwamboki tea factory.

Some of the beneficiaries include Mary Wambui,  a mother of two physically disabled daughters

“We are grateful to Farmer on Fire and her partners for thinking about us, I have two physically disabled young daughters and managing their monthly periods is tasking. This product will go a long way towards making sure that my daughters’ genitals are dry and infection free,” Wambui said.

Another Beneficiary, Margaret Ouma said the reusable panties comes in handy and will allow her more time for more plucking of tea leaves which will raise her household income.

“During the ‘ops’ days, I can have more hours to pick more tea leaves which will raise my income to be able to take care of my three children. instead of worrying and changing the cotton nappies and frequent runs to the hospital due to flare ups,” Ouma added.

The firm also took time to engage with the girls at Mwakwamboki Primary school, teaching them about their reproductive cycle and how to manage their menstruation. Girls commonly miss or drop out of school because they do not understand what is happening to them or are unaware of how to hygienically manage their natural cycle

“We are very grateful for choosing our school as your inaugural philanthropy, and even for taking your time to encourage our students to venture into agriculture as a career. The pupils go through a lot of challenges, and this donation goes a long way in building their confidence,” said Makoboki Deputy Principal.

The reusable panties come in handy in the wake of climate change, sanitary towels are tricky to dispose of and end up in landfills in millions, polluting the environment. This offers a more carbon safe alternative since they are rewashable, to a challenge affecting at least 5 billion women globally.

In Kenya menstrual hygiene products are expensive and hard to obtain. Girls are negatively affected in many ways, including a compromised education from missing school, infection or disease due to lack of hygiene, and pressure to engage in transactional sex in order to obtain menstrual hygiene products.