Health
There are very many health issues related to poverty.

Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of poor health.

Menstruation

Why does menstrual health matter?  Did you know that girls miss out on 25% of teaching time because they are embarrassed to go to school when menstruating.  Embarrassment, cultural and gender taboos and ignorance on women’s and girls’ health matters are still hidden away from discussion and deliberation.  Maintaining health and hygiene during menstruation is important for a girl’s health, well-being, mobility and dignity.  The parents of Rinska, a young 26 year old teacher from Holland who died whilst in Kenya from Malaria, recently sponsored the second set of re-useable sanitary pads for girls at school.  Sada, our first girl university degree holder has been instrumental in the awareness campaign promoting hygiene and talking about reproductive health to the girls in the local communities.  Sada has talked to the mothers about gynaecological issues and symptoms and where to go for treatment, about early childhood pregnancy and how the mothers can protect their children from the misery that they have endured.  Sada issues a menstrual cycle calendar and a bead bracelet so that young girls can count and be aware of their cycle.  We are keeping young, adolescent girls in education with this initiative.  If you would like to sponsor re-useable sanitary pads please click here.

Intestinal Worms

At the start of each term we have many children contaminated with intestinal worms.  As a result of poor health, kids get ‘shillingis’ (they commonly get rings on their heads where the hair falls out and doesn’t grow back) which is the external manifestation of internal worms and shows us that they are totally infested.  These worms sap all the energy out of the kids, can make them vomit, makes them want to sleep all the time and generally makes them very unwell and lackadaisical.  They are treated on the first day of each term and this has had a very good impact.  Our teachers have been trained to monitor all kids every day for anything that is abnormal.

Jiggers

What is the itchiest you have ever been in your life? Multiply that by at least 100 and imagine how sore and uncomfortable you would feel.
Tunga Penetrans, or jigger, is a flea that burrows into the skin, mostly around the toenails and fingernails and feeds on its host. They are extremely itchy and painful if not treated. How many of you that read this have ever had a jigger?
Jiggers are a result of poor health and hygiene and can be prevented with very simple treatments. Children are especially vulnerable. Once the female flea is settled under the skin she starts to grow, and grow, and grow. Big fat jiggers, once dug out, look like great big fat maggots. If not treated and removed, she will then POP. All her eggs are then spread under the skin and the whole process will start all over again, but multiplied by many times. Heavy infestations can lead to severe swelling, ulceration, toenail loss and in extreme cases gangrene and digit loss. Kids with severe infestations cannot walk to school because of the irritation and suppuration of the sores. Flies thrive on these sores and make infections worse. School performance drops. Of course, education is crucial in the eradication of jiggers and we need to raise funds to implement a solution for families infected with jiggers and worms. I had a young girl came in during the holidays to see what we were doing. She had the most disgusting open wound on her heel, where we could see the bone. We started the jigger treatment immediately. Next day she was in with her two younger brothers.
We have built a ‘trough’ that the girls have to walk through on their way into school each morning. This trough is filled with stuff that jiggers hate. We have also built a hand-washing station with soap and scrubbing brushes where children will be able to scrub their hands each day as they come into school.