About
The Project
Adolescent menstrual health programming in Kenya has expanded significantly over the past decade. Product access has improved,school curricula have been revised, and yet the data keeps surfacing the same thing: girls are entering puberty without anyone sitting with them to explain what is happening.
In 2014, only 12% of Kenyan girls said they would be comfortable receiving menstrual information from their mothers. A decade later, in 2026, a study in Kilifi found that only 28% of adolescent girls had received any menstrual education from their parents.
The Period In Between began with that gap; not as a critique of what has been done but mostly as a curiosity about what has been left out.
Puberty alters how a girl’s body is viewed, talked about, and controlled, yet this transition often stays unexplored. For many girls, their first period occurs unexpectedly, without prior preparation; one day, they are children, and the next, they face something entirely new with little explanation.
In December 2025, Meza Yetu Collective conducted two workshops in Kibera and Mathare, Nairobi, involving 33 adolescent girls aged 14 to 19. These sessions used storytelling and creative activities to explore puberty, menstruation, and the silence surrounding both, with local community partners ensuring the work stayed grounded locally.
A facilitator maintained emotional safety, while a creative partner led artistic activities.
Consistent themes emerged across both communities: many girls felt confused and scared during their first period. Some thought they had been injured or had done something wrong, and many found it difficult to approach adults due to secrecy.
While we initially expected discussions to revolve around access to products and information, what stood out most was the realisation that many girls entered puberty without anyone explaining what was happening to their bodies or how their lives might change. This gap was both material and relational.
