There is need to continue supporting school going girls to accesses sanitary towels even if they are at home due to corona virus outbreak; Siaya county women representative, Dr. Christine Ombaka has said.
Dr. Ombaka observed that many girls in schools across the county who initially depended on various organizations for free supply of the sanitary towels can no longer access the towels since they are now at home.
Ombaka said that most girls hail from poor families that cannot afford the towels and at the same time feed themselves especially during this corona pandemic period.
She stated that due to lack of the towels, the county risks losing gains it had made in the fight against early pregnancies since the girls would be exposed to sexual exploitation from irresponsible men in exchange of the towels.
The women representative therefore vowed to work with various stakeholders responsible for distribution of Covid-19 relief food and nonfood items to also offer relief sanitary towels to girls from vulnerable families in the region.
“My initiative to give free pads to girls in schools could not go on because after the outbreak of corona virus all students were sent home. I have begun talking to various stakeholders, including those who are distributing relief food, to identify and give free towels to girls from vulnerable families,” emphasized Ombaka.
Dr. Ombaka was speaking in Rarieda Sub County where she had taken a donation of over 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizers to bodaboda operators in the five wards to boost the fight against the spread of corona virus.
She also contributed a bale of sanitary towels to be given to girls from vulnerable families.
The County Women Rep appealed to NGOs and other stakeholders who were supporting girls with free sanitary towels before the outbreak of corona virus to use local leaders in order to reach out to the beneficiaries.
Elsewhere in Bondo, area Covid 19 response team has distributed food donations to over five hundred vulnerable families affected by the pandemic.
The Chairman of the committee who is also the area Deputy County Commissioner, Tom Macheneri said the second phase of distribution of foodstuff targeted twenty vulnerable households in all the twenty six villages in Bondo Sub County.
Macheneri was flanked by Siaya County Trade and Infrastructure CEC, Jaoko Oburu who appealed to stakeholders and individuals to continue donating to the kitty.
He asked leaders in the region to shun politics during the corona pandemic and come together to support vulnerable families without expecting any political mileage.
By Brian Ondeng’
