Period poverty - the cultural shame associated with menstruation and dire shortage of affordable sanitary products - impacts two in every three women across her country. It prevents girls from attending school, often leaves them vulnerable to early marriage and pregnancy, and results in a suite of health issues when old clothing and mattresses are substituted for sanitary products.
Deeper still is the lingering stigma experienced by women who receive little education about this most natural of processes.
While Scotland became the first country in the world to make sanitary products free last November and even the Kenyan Government continues to discuss supplying schools, Maurine and a small group of her friends have not been content to wait for international redress. Last year they raised sufficient money to build dedicated girls' toilets in two high schools (to ensure privacy and better hygiene), and a recent $5000 grant from the not-for-profit organisation Edified is helping them to provide sanitary products for 375 girls in two schools for the first three school terms of 2021.
"During menstruation young girls have trouble maintaining their school attendance," says Maurine, who is studying for her Masters in Social Work at UNE. "Without sanitary pads, they cannot concentrate in school and would rather stay at home than experience the embarrassment and shame of going to school and soiling their clothes. Eventually it affects their schooling and prevents them from participating fully in school and community life. It also affects their health and future prospects."
Maurine says menstruation and hygiene remains something of a taboo subject in some parts of Kenya, even among women. Poor education and financial poverty leads to the use of non-hygienic alternatives, which frequently cause reproductive and urinary tract infections.
"Sanitary products in Kenya are expensive," Maurine says. "A pack of about 10 sanitary pads costs 80 Kenyan shillings, which is almost half the daily income of most manual workers and farmers. Sanitary products are simply not a priority for most families: food, shelter and education are far more important."
When a young woman misses school repeatedly, she often becomes disinterested and commonly stops attending altogether. This, Maurine says, leaves her vulnerable to social and cultural influences.
"In some communities, the start of menstruation signals that a girl is ready for marriage or sexually active," she says. "If she is not attending school, then she can be exposed to other problems. Men are known to trade sanitary products for sex with girls. This then exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases, early marriages and early pregnancies. School becomes a thing of the past.
"In 2019 a 14-year-old girl committed suicide in my country. She was at school when her periods arrived unexpectedly and her clothes were stained. A teacher made an insensitive comment, which affected the girl and it was too much for her."
Before arriving in Australia last March, Maurine and her team were visiting schools to help educate and reassure girls, boys and teaching staff about menstruation and its management. They would dearly like to support more girls.
"No girl should be anxious or worried about where they will get their next sanitary products from," she says. "We have only been working in two schools in need. There are many other girls, including ones at home, who still need help. It's a problem across the country, where 65% of women cannot afford sanitary products.
"We are looking to get more sponsorship so we can discuss other options like tampons and menstrual cups, which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Menstruation should not limit girls and be a barrier to them achieving their goals in life. And no-one should take advantage of them for that. Information is power and I want to ensure that girls get the correct information and support they need."
It's a huge challenge in a poorly resourced country, because period poverty encompasses more than the lack of access to sanitary products and menstrual hygiene education. It also concerns the provision of clean toilets and water for hand-washing, and appropriate waste management.
"But we are working on strategies that are sustainable and can be expanded," Maurine says. "In a country where condoms are free, why shouldn't the government make sanitary products free for women? You can choose not to have sex, but menstruation is unavoidable."
For Maurine, it is a basic human rights issue. "It is fundamental to address menstruation hygiene if we are to address gender equity and human rights for young girls," she says.
