Harvest fairtrade group sanitary towel survey report

HARVEST FAIRTRADE GROUP

SANITARY NAPKIN PROJECT SURVEY REPORT 2014-2015

WHAT IS FAIRTRADE?Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between producers and consumers. When farmers can sell on Fairtrade terms, it provides them with a better deal and improved terms of trade. This allows them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their every day shopping. When a product carries the FAIRTRADE Mark it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade Standards. The Fairtrade Standards are designed to address the imbalance of power in trading relationships, unstable markets and the injustices of conventional trade.

HARVEST FAIRTRADE S.H.G

“Supporting girl child education is our priority”

Forward Statement • The Harvest Fairtrade Group as a legal Body is

managed by a Fairtrade Premium committee comprising of a twelve member committee.

• FPC has a adopted a committee systems empowered and capacitated , with strong values of transparency , accountability and more so a responsible premium organization.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS• Alice Maru----------------- Fairtrade officer• Doris Karimi--------------- Management Advisor/Rep.• Sylvester Wabwire ------- Management Advisor/Rep.• Samwel Atieno ----------- Chairperson • Tabitha Wambua--------- Vice Chairperson.• Lawrence Mwangi-------- Treasurer.• Hellen Ndirangu----------- Secretary.• Danson Mutua------------- V. secretary.• Elima Gladys --------------- Member • Josephine Mwikali --------- Member• Paul Musembi -------------- member

SANIATRY TOWEL PROJECT• The sanitary Napkin project is sustainably

empowering school going girls by helping them address problems they face during their menstruation.

•The most single important challenge facing girls in our communities' and Kenya at large is breaking the grip of poverty. The social situations characterized by the growing numbers of HIV/AIDS, orphans, unemployment and violence. Female youth and women of all ages still have very limited say over their lives and in particular their sexuality.

TARGETED GROUP

• About 80% of the adolescent female youth cannot afford sanitary pads. Evidence suggests that the period around puberty is one in which many girls drop out of school, are absent from school for significant periods of time. Over 3,000 girls miss 12 weeks of school every year and women miss valuable work hour’s.

• Menstruation causes adolescent girls to lose an average of 1- 6 learning days per month. Limited access to safe, affordable, convenient and appropriate methods for dealing with menstruation has far reaching implications for the rights , physical ,social and mental wellbeing of many adolescent girls in our community.

CONTINUATION

This factors motivated harvest Fairtrade group to start the sanitary distribution to 12 public schools within athi-river District and the Problems the group highlighted to solve were the following

• Absenteeism where girls stay at home rather than attending school when menstruating.

• Gender disparity between girls and boys • Poor performance from girls • Fears caused by cultural myths• Embarrassment and low self esteem.

MAIN OBJECTIVES

• To improve school attendance among girls between the ages of 9 -18 years in primary schools and secondary schools in Kenya

• To increase access to vulnerable adolescent girls with sanitary pads

• To bridge the gap of gender disparity • Menstrual hygiene management knowledge and risk

awareness of HIV/AIDS among in and out of school girls.

• To improve their self esteem.• Improved Performance in school

STRATEGIESThe group has rolled out a comprehensive sanitary towels distribution cutting from 12 public schools in athi river both primary and secondary ie Primary schools Kinanie Primary school Kanaani primary school St. Paul Primary School KMC DEB primary SchoolMavoko Primary SchoolAthi-River Primary school Kasuito Primary School Secondary schools Mavoko Secondary school Kanaani Secondary SchoolKinanie Secondary school Athgi-river Secondary school Chumvi secondary school

CASE STUDY

• Rose a student explains how the sanitary towels has helped them in school, she expound that before she used to absent from school during menstruation and uses clothes at home, since the parents are unable to provide , she misses up to 5 days of schools and loss on educations is unbearable in that she will take more time to copy notes and other are still in class, subjects like chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics if one misses a lesson especially 5 in a week them performance must be down you can’t compensate 100%.

CASE STUDY• Syombua from Slota slum says, initially I dint want my

parents to know the status but when provided with the towels I explained to my mother and she too explained more to me about my gender this helped me accept myself, before the donations It was embarrassment especially during emergences

• Teacher Regina athi-river Secondary explain it was a good start for our girls since absenteeism was very high, most of this girls comes from poor families and to afford the required set of pads then it means the family must either go hungry or they forego other things basic to them which to many families its impracticable. The girls would intern rely on their boyfriends as most teachers are not helpful at this point due to fear from the students.

SURVEY FINDING • Reduced absenteeism• Out of 120 girls interviewed 120, revealed that absenteeism due

to natural issues have been reduced 100% what remains now is social issues to school fees which amount to 40%

• Absenteeism previously was 40% and now it is 100• Gender disparity • The group found the gender gap at 60% and out of the 120 girls

polled 102 reveals that gender gap has narrowed to 10% since boys now accept the girls and forgets about the question why girls are out of school at a particular time and point and now they are all in class and compete at a clean leveled ground

• Performance • Out of 120 girls interviewed 90% performance increase has been

noted this was evident from the performance sheet/form from the schools and girls performance risen from 40% to 60%

FINDINGS• Class participation • Class participation and answering of questions improved as

girls were confident and self esteem regained, the general participation of girls increased from 20% to 60%, this in many schools have given the boys a big challenge as boys have to wake up and soldier with the new reminiscence from girls .

• Cultural Myths alleviated • Out of 120 girls interviewed 80 girls responded by saying , it

has changed 60% from 10% , reason now “we go home and display the pads to our parents and they ask what are this items , we tell them yes this are sanitary pads and they keep quiet, when we inform them that we have received pads from harvest Ltd they are amazed and today they take it normal and no more questions “Says Valentine Achieng

DATA

  Sanitary Project Survey 2014-2015  

sample Size Respondents % respondents for

Reduced

absenteeism 120 120 100

Gender Disparity 120 12 10

Performance 120 100 83

Class participation 120 72 60

Cultural Myths 120 12 10

Workers Health Project

• New Targets • Absenteeism ---------------------------------100% alleviate•  • Girls performance --------------------------------- 80% increase •  • Gender disparity -------------------------- alleviate completely 0%•  • Cultural Myths ------------------------ bare minimum 0%•  • General performance ------------------------ 80% upwards •

PRODUCT SURVEY

PRODUCT SURVEY The group also used a product survey to ascertain if the qualities of the sanitary towels they provide to the schools are good the survey was conducted between April 4th to 6th May The survey targeted 25 girls from secondary schools only due to the nature of the survey and the information required The sampled girls were given a set of three brands and were asked through a structured questionnaire to evaluate the quality and comfort ability of the brands.

Brands Quality

Preferences

Brand X Brand Y Brand Z

16 6 0

PRODUCT SURVEY

OUTCOME

Brands names y= Flora Brand X = Nia SuperBrand Z= nia RegularNew challenges Inadequate waste disposal facilities.Leakage from poor quality protection materials.Limited education about the facts of menstruation.Limited access to counseling and guidance

PARTNERSHIP

• Solution • A partnership between the group and the school

will solve , disposal issues raised and the supplier should provide poly bags for disposals with each set of pads

• A partnership between schools and the group shall support the girls with counseling and guidance and health education on menstruation

• The suppliers should maintain high quality and adhere to production standards always