SHARE - will you?

Some of you will know about the new program we launched this year - SHARE - which is all about providing sanitary health and reproductive education to girls and women in rural areas. Underpinning this program is a major initiative that enables girls aged 13-24 to complete their secondary education - this is The SHARE Project and we really need your help.

Basically, the idea behind The SHARE Project came from a group of girls attending the school who asked us to provide feminine hygiene products to them so that they could stay in school. Unfortunately, when the girls reached puberty they often left school as they did not have access to these items and were forced to stay at home. Some soldiered on using the traditional method of dried cow dung as protection, or shared an old scrap of cloth between them. These solutions were not only imperfect but also caused a rise in fungal and other infections amongst the girls.

After much research we finally found an environmentally viable, economically sustainable and culturally sensitive solution - specially designed reusable cloth pads. Each girl gets 3-4 pads which last at least a year, plus attend free health seminars either at the local clinic (which we are currently building - go to www.kenyaaid.org to see photos) or their school.

So - we need 100 pads by December to roll out the launch of The SHARE Project at a small school in Shikunga, Western Kenya called Musango Secondary School. The girls that attend this school are the poorest of the poor - most have lost their parents, are caring for younger siblings, and many are at high risk of violence, HIV, or extended poverty if they do not complete their education.

To help these girls we need your help. For $20 you can give 3 girls dignity, access to heath education and care, plus the ability to complete their basic education. It's not a large amount but the difference it makes to these girls is huge. We understand that not everyone can donate, but please, share this page, or pass the message on to as many people as you can as spreading the word really helps!

You can donate online via our registered charity secure payment page at http://www.kenyaaid.org/donate.php or please feel free to contact me (ph: 0410 422 512 or e-mail - info@kenyaaid.org) for more information.

Thank you for your support!