Yet, even with access to an education, a teen Maasai girl faces another challenge: Puberty and her monthly period.

Kenya Hope serves in the Maasai community. Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope explains, “For a Maasai girl,…she does not have access to menstrual supplies. So whenever she has her monthly bleed, very often, she’ll stay home from school and miss that time in class.”

Kenya Hope’s Girls on Mission ministry provides dignity bags to teen girls. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

It creates a compounding effect as a girl is absent from school each month.

Mueller says teen boys or men will sometimes buy a teen girl disposable pads, knowing how desperate she is for menstrual supplies. “The girl will receive it, use them, and be grateful for them. Then the same boy will come back and say, ‘Well, now you owe me.’ Well, the girl, if she says, ‘I can’t, I don’t have any money. I have no way to pay you back,’ they will ask for some kind of a physical favor in return.”

If a girl in Kenyan culture gets pregnant, she is automatically pulled from school. “Then you’re guaranteed that you will have FGM and child marriage and so forth.”

Menstrual supplies can be the linchpin that keeps Maasai girls in school and out of harm’s way.

Kenya Hope’s Girls on Mission ministry provides dignity bags to teen girls. (Photo courtesy of Kenya Hope)

That’s why Kenya Hope distributes “dignity bags” to these girls through their Girls on Mission ministry. Each dignity bag contains critical menstrual supplies that enable them to maintain their education.

“It’s amazing what a pair of underwear means to these girls – the soft cotton underwear, specifically! That is not something they have there,” says Mueller. “So these [are] coveted supplies of multiple reusable pads as well as underwear that is soft and wearable, and…laundry soap.”

Most importantly, Mueller emphasizes, “The Gospel is weaved into everything — that they have a Savior who loves them, that they are valued and precious and beautiful. [We tell them] they have a Savior who died for them and sees them. That’s life-changing!”

Pray these teen girls ultimately find true confidence in Christ.

Learn more about Kenya Hope’s ministry.

Header photo courtesy of Kenya Hope.

Kenya Hope’s Steve Holman says, “One major part of our ministry model is partnering with local congregations across the United States. This church is Grace Community Church in Hudsonville, where we are, and this team includes Alexa and Forrest Mueller. Forrest is the middle son of Dave and Joy Mueller.”

Forrest and Alexa Mueller at Kibera Hope Center. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope)

Dave and Joy Mueller were the former executive directors of Kenya Hope who were tragically killed in a car accident while on the Kenya mission field one year ago. Steve’s daughter, Julie Holman, also died in the crash.

On October 25th, the missions team started the morning in Kenya with a devotional, prayer, and remembrance on the anniversary of the loss of Dave, Joy, and Julie.

Steve says, “One purpose was to help our Kenyan coworkers and widows groups and people in the Hope Centers grieve with Alexa and Forrest over the death of Dave and Joy and to remember them properly.

“Another purpose was, now that we have so much infrastructure and locations, how are we managing all of this stuff? [They are] seeing how well the wells were drilled and the water systems installed.”

(Photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope)

The team is visiting all the ministry’s Hope Centers in Narok County. They started with the Kibera Hope Center for a memorial service. The team also distributed food relief bags to Kenyan families and Dignity Kits to teen girls.

Please be praying for the Kenya Hope missions team as they continue ministry this week.

“First and foremost,” Steve asks, “[pray] for safety as they travel around. Second, for sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit as opportunities arise.”

Learn more about how you or your church can partner with Kenya Hope at their website!

Header photo courtesy of Alexa Mueller with Kenya Hope.