Menstrual & Mental Wellness Retreat Nairobi, Kenya

Who We Are

Love Your Menses, Inc was founded in Boston, MA in 2019 in response to the growing menstrual wellness needs of girls and women. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we promote menstrual equity through education, resource connection, product distribution and mentorship.

Purpose & Mission

Kenya

The purpose of this wellness retreat is to promote menstrual equity through open dialog, intergenerational relationship building, and programming amongst African American and Kenyan girls .

Menstruation is a public health issue that ultimately affects 1.8 billion people across the world. With such a large number of women and girls that menstruate, our work is crucial in combating this domestic, and global issue.

While in Kenya, LYM will aim to demystify topics surrounding menstruation, while providing evidence-based menstrual health education to encourage conversation around menstrual wellness between Kenyan and American girls, allowing for a meaningful cultural exchange.

Cultural exchange is an immeasurable beneficial experience. The experience of being able to immerse oneself into a culture different than your own creates a chance to truly appreciate different human experiences and provides a chance to broaden one’s own perspectives. As we exchange and embrace new cultures that aren't our own, we learn to be more cognizant of our own cultural norms and values.

We then start to build a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to numerous aspects of life (e.g. continuing education, professional growth, personal growth).

Participating in cultural exchange not only allows an individual to grow but also promotes the creation of a global community. A community that embraces differences in language, religion, or societal expectations as what makes us special and unique rather than superior and better.

We hope that this cultural exchange program will allow our participants to embrace cultural differences and be inspired to continue working towards a world of equity and peace.

Participants

A select number of African American Girls mostly from Boston, Hartford, and the DC-MD-VA (DMV) area ages 13-15 and their mothers/female guardians will join us as we participate in a wellness and cultural exchange program in Kenya.

LYM will aim to create a cultural exchange experience for the attendees as they build strong relationships with their Kenyan "sisters", and participate in open and meaningful intergenerational dialogue surrounding all things menstruation and mental health.

Help us make this trip possible for the youths and their parents by your donation.

Make a Contribution

TESTIMONIALS

See what our 2022 Menstrual Awareness and Wellness Workshop attendees are saying about our workshop:

"I am happy that I got a chance to finally expand my knowledge on menses...to our facilitand teachers of today, I want to thank you all."

"I am grateful for the knowledge you have passed onto me. I will not only mentor my girls on the dignity pack, but I will also make sure that they have the proper education on the menstruation to go hand in hand with utility of the pack."

"I learned a lot about the menstrual phases, I thought I was a menstrual champion until today's session."

"Thanks for educating us on our menses, treating us with food, and gifts... I know it's my duty to take it back to my community."

"I learned about period panties, which I never knew of before...I'd love to one day be able to help a girl with getting pads so that she does not have to miss school."

"Kudos to you all...I cannot wait to start spreading the gospel of how to Love Your Menses."