The County Government of Bomet has extended support to primary school girls by donating free sanitary pads to all female candidates. Following a 2019 case where a student committed suicide after being shamed for having her periods by classmates, the county is undertaking this initiative to avoid a repeat, especially when boys ridicule them about menstruation. This project is also aimed at boosting confidence among the young girls while doing their exams and to fight shame associated with menstruation at that age. The county has distributed 800 sanitary pads to each sub-county for all class eight candidates. This project started during the onset of COVID-19 in the county, where girls would call officers in the Gender Department to help them access sanitary towels.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected income generation in most households in Bomet, forcing most families to focus on the major basic needs like food, while sanitary towels and other female hygiene products came second. Bomet County has since then organized mentorship projects where girls from the slums and poor backgrounds receive free sanitary pads to help them during the tough economic times. The mentorship projects also involve training champions who get in touch with the county officials to inform them when girls in certain sub-counties have challenges accessing the sanitary towels. The trained champions routinely advise the young girls and encourage them to be confident during the tough days of the month and teach basic feminine hygiene routines. Schools share the pads among all girls, and needy students get extra packets to carry home for the coming days.