At the heart of this initiative was a comic book, Siri ya Mwezi, co-developed by Womankind and Polycom and launched on the International Day of the Girl Child. Written in both Swahili and English, and adapted into an audio version, the comic book aimed to break stigma around menstrual health by encouraging dialogue between girls, boys, parents and teachers. The comic book was written by Abigail Arunga and designed by Nzilani Simu.
Polycom’s expertise and long-standing work in the community brought authenticity and local resonance, while our support brought in wider platforms and visibility. The campaign was featured six times in Kenyan media and launched at a live press conference.
By creating a campaign that was inclusive, participatory, and locally rooted, we not only achieved our goals of amplifying girls’ voices and raising awareness but also showed the power of feminist collaboration. The campaign contributed to the menstrual health and sexual and reproductive health rights narrative in Kenya by advocating for inclusive dialogue in the education curriculum and tax-free menstrual products.
There has been strong interest from partners in Nairobi to make further copies of the book for countrywide distribution. Through the campaign, we have also contributed to local advocacy for waiving taxes on period products. Both of these speak to the long-term impact of MyPeriodt.
