Refugee Camp Girls Miss School Due to Period Poverty Crisis
Kakuma, 10 April 2026
A shocking 65% of Kenya’s 27 million girls and women cannot afford basic menstrual products, creating widespread educational disruption in refugee settlements. The Girls Summit 2025 in Kakuma and Kalobeyei camps revealed how period poverty forces thousands of young refugees to miss school monthly due to lack of sanitary products and facilities. Personal accounts highlight the humiliation girls face, with one student describing blood staining her dress during class. Community organisations have pledged immediate action, including distributing 2,000 sanitary pads and educating 5,000 girls about menstrual health to break this cycle of educational inequality.
Personal Stories Reveal Educational Impact
The reality of period poverty becomes starkly personal through testimonies like Naima’s, a resident of the refugee camps who shared her harrowing experience during the Girls Summit 2025. “My first time menstruating was tough. I was in class, and the teacher called on me to answer a question. I stood up to answer, and my dress was stained with blood. I was shocked,” she recounted [1]. Naima’s experience reflects the daily struggles of thousands of girls in Kakuma and Kalobeyei refugee camps, where the absence of adequate menstrual health resources creates barriers to education that extend far beyond the classroom. The psychological impact of such incidents often leads to school avoidance during menstrual periods, perpetuating cycles of educational disadvantage that can affect girls’ long-term prospects.
Summit Brings Together Advocates for Change
The Girls Summit 2025, organised by Resilience Action International, took place from 27 May to 28 May 2025, strategically timed to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day [1]. The two-day event brought together diverse stakeholders to address period poverty through comprehensive programming that included panel discussions on advocacy, empowerment, and collaborative solutions [1]. Breakout sessions were expertly facilitated by community leaders including Sudi Omar from Girl Power Action Initiative, George Olwanda from REF FM, and Adrian Nakoi from the International Rescue Committee, each focusing on different aspects of the crisis [1]. The summit’s structure demonstrated a commitment to addressing period poverty from multiple angles, recognising that sustainable solutions require community engagement, media awareness, and access to appropriate products.
Concrete Commitments Emerge from Collaborative Discussions
The summit’s final day on 28 May featured a pivotal panel discussion on collaborative solutions for ending period poverty, led by Consolee Muvunyi [1]. This session catalysed immediate action commitments from participating organisations, with Conzana Cornelius, founder and CEO of Saidia Community Initiative, making a particularly significant pledge. “As the Founder and CEO at Saidia Community Initiative, we commit to educate 5000 young girls on menstruation and distribute 2000 sanitary pads!” Cornelius announced [1]. The commitment represents a tangible response to the crisis, directly addressing both the education gap around menstrual health and the practical need for sanitary products that enables girls to attend school consistently.
Ongoing Support Networks Continue the Mission
The momentum from the 2025 summit continues to inspire action well into 2026, with organisations like Action Girls Foundation maintaining their commitment to supporting young refugees. Recent social media posts from the foundation demonstrate ongoing engagement, with the organisation stating: “We are honoured to keep supporting their dreams and stand beside these incredible young girls as they shape their futures” [2]. The summit’s call to action extended beyond participating organisations, encouraging individuals and partners to commit to ending period poverty through various means including donations to support local girls’ access to reusable pads, volunteering with grassroots organisations, and promoting open dialogue about menstruation [1]. These sustained efforts represent a comprehensive approach to addressing a crisis that affects educational outcomes for thousands of refugee girls across Kenya’s camps.