By Muskan Singh | Reporting Team
Dear Donor,
Your generous and continued support is helping us drive meaningful transformation in our communities. Our Girls’ Empowerment Workshops stand as a powerful testament to that impact.
Our previous report shared how your contributions touched lives inNyamware andKamakowa. In this report, we take you further into four more communities, where 141 girls and their mothers came together to learn, heal, and grow. Thank you for believing in our cause and supporting us as we empower one community at a time.
International Women’s Day 2025
At the heart of this year’s International Women’s Day was a powerful truth: empowering the next generation, particularly adolescent girls, is not just essential but urgent. As the United Nations echoed, girls are catalysts for lasting change, and the most effective tool we have to drive that change is education. Education unlocks transformation. It bridges vulnerability to confidence, silence to voice, and survival to opportunity.
In line with our mission to ensure girls complete their education without interruption, we celebrated this special day with four communities: Korwana Primary School, Odienya Primary School, Central Primary School, and Pal Omega CBO. 141 girls and their mothers were brought together in a shared space of learning, healing, and growth.
Bridging the Silence: Reconnecting Mothers and Daughters
We believe lasting change doesn't begin in classrooms alone—it starts at home, in the care of those who raise and believe in her. So often, that’s a mother—whose love, resilience, and quiet strength shape the girl’s path to confidence. This year’s International Women’s Day celebration went beyond recognising the potential of girls—it honoured the women behind them. Most of these women are single mothers, working tirelessly to provide, taking up odd jobs or working two jobs at a time to make ends meet. They face daily battles such as economic hardship, stigma, and lack of access, but what remains unshaken is their determination to provide for their children in the hopes of giving them a better life. But emotional connections can be lost in the rush of daily struggles, leaving girls without support in their most vulnerable moments.
In communities where talking about menstruation, our bodies, or emotions is often difficult, RKF’s Girls’ Empowerment Workshop builds bridges. They offer a safe, respectful space for intergenerational conversations, where mothers and daughters can listen, learn, and speak freely, often for the first time.
Each two-hour session brought mothers and daughters together in honest, open conversation. Together, they explored menstrual hygiene, understood the menstrual cycle, learned when to seek medical attention, and dismantled long-held myths. These were more than educational sessions—they were moments of truth-telling, healing inherited silences, and strengthening bonds. We ended with shared affirmations and the symbolic exchange of roses between mothers and daughters. When girls feel seen, heard, and supported at home, they show up at school with confidence.
That was true for Purity, who shared that she learned how to use reusable sanitary pads and maintain good hygiene. Her mother, Ann, confessed that before the workshop, she had never told her daughter she was beautiful. Now, she sees how deeply emotional support matters—and plans to share what she’s learned with her other children, including a more positive view of menstruation. The reusable pads will help her save money, and for Purity, who dreams of becoming an engineer, the experience reaffirmed her belief in the power of education.
Trizah, a Grade 8 student, also described the workshop as both enjoyable and enlightening. She now feels more confident talking to her mother and said her view of menstruation has changed entirely. Her mother expressed heartfelt gratitude and promised to pass on the knowledge, ensuring these conversations ripple outward through her family and community.
The Ripples of Impact
In Kenya, 65% of girls cannot afford sanitary products, forcing many to miss school during their periods. This reinforces cycles of inequality and lost opportunity. At RKF, we believe no girl should have to choose between managing her period and continuing her education.
Each of the 141 girls received a comprehensive sanitary kit that will allow her to attend school consistently and confidently. The kits included:
These simple yet vital items offer dignity, safety, and relief to the girls and their families, who can now redirect scarce financial resources.
Be a Changemaker, Support a Girl’s Educational Journey
For every US$15 you donate, we empower a girl with a 12-18-month sanitary pad kit and life-changing training sessions. With Menstrual Hygiene Day coming up on 28th May, we aim to reach an additional 250 girls. Will you join us on our mission?
Donate here: Empower & Educate the Girls of Rural Kisumu or via M-Pesa through Pay Bill: 744040, Account No: Girls2025.
Photography Credits: Mansi Kotak, Flavian Marie & Brinner Ninah
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