Emma (35) and Annabel (12) have decided to set out on this personal challenge to raise vital funds for this most deserving charity.   12 months ago I (Emma) couldn’t even walk 1/2 a mile.  Following a third round of back surgery I have suffered with chronic back pain.  This is going to be a physical and mental challenge for us both but one we are very excited to set out on.

We shall walk the 117 miles of the Mendip ring over 6 days of the Easter holidays.

How would you feel if your daughter or granddaughter was unable to go to school one week out of every four? Why? Because you or they could not afford to buy sanitary pads. Would you be happy knowing that your neighbour was using leaves, old rags - or maybe nothing to cope with her periods? Would you be shocked to hear that school girls are prostituting themselves to raise money to buy sanitary wear? Unfortunately this is what is happening all over Kenya and where the charity St Peter’s Life-Line step in.  

We aim to remedy this by manufacturing low/no cost sanitary pads, with priority initially going to schoolgirls.

We are following the well tested route already developed and successfully operating in the refugee camps of the Middle East. 

So far, we have built a custom designed micro-factory at St Peter’s, Kajuki, which is nearing completion.

We have purchased the necessary equipment and materials to manufacture 120,000 sanitry pads, in our factory, employing local women. 

When Covid restrictions allow, the consignment will be shipped and delivered to our factory, where a specialist in manufacturing will fly out from UK and train the ladies.

We now want to secure our next consignment of a further supply of material for 120,000 more pads - cost £4,615, so that production can continue uninterrupted.

This is a vital part of our overall efforts to free women from the traditional tribal servitude and attitudes - with eliminating FGM, and running our very successful micro finance scheme (for women only!).

Note: Because of the blood curse factor, reusable/washable sanitary pads are not acceptable by the women at present - we have tried! So we have to make disposables. Because of the blood element they will never be carelessly thrown away. In most cases they will go down the family earthen ‘long drop’ loo, and in schools we will provide communal incinerators. We are currently trialling the use of silicone menstrual cups, but quite understandably some resistance to these, which is ultimately the totally sustainable solution. But… for various reasons there will aways be a need for sanitary pads, and at some stage we could get into making incontinence wear.

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