You Don’t Have to Say Yes to Early Marriage by Lavina Yego

In response to my blog post on Choose NOW Ministries titled Why Are My Periods Painful?, Bridget Caletka from Texas has made a donation to Lift the Lid’s latest fundraiser, The Miracle Project. Our goal is to supply 25 students from Lenana Girls High School with reusable sanitary towels or The Moon Cup®. If we raise just $500, we’ll be able to keep these girls healthy, functional, and comfortable throughout high school and university and into the workforce.

According to The Consumers Federation of Kenya, 85% of women and girls in rural Kenya do not use sanitary napkins. It is common knowledge that school drop out rates spike for teenage girls in Kenya. At best, they miss a week of school each month. We can make a difference at Lenana Girls High School. The majority of the girls at Lenana come from underprivileged backgrounds, where sanitary napkins are a luxury they cannot afford. While the school makes reproductive health a part of the curriculum, at this time they are unable to supply the girls with sanitary napkins each month. Lift the Lid, through The Miracle Project, is looking into different products, both bio-degradable and reusable, in order to keep the girls at Lenana healthy and going to class. Thank you, Bridget, for helping us to make a dent in this widespread problem in rural Kenya.

Student Lavina Yego won an Honorable Mention in Lenana’s Second Annual Writing Competition sponsored by Lift the Lid with her personal essay about how she stood up to early marriage. We are happy to share her essay as a show of our gratitude. Lavina is a role model to girls worldwide. Even when marriage seems to be a way out of poverty and there are no other apparent options, girls don’t have to say yes to early marriage. Click on the images below to read her inspiring essay: