Biography – Rael Kukule Akoru Rael Kukule Akoru is a public health professional from Turkana County, Kenya, with extensive experience in environmental health, community health, health promotion, and public health program coordination. She holds a Certificate and Diploma in Environmental Health Sciences and a Specialization Diploma in Community Health. She has served in various public health roles within the Kenyan government, including Public Health Technician, Public Health Officer, District Public Health Officer, Sub-County Public Health Officer, and County School Health Coordinator Throughout her career, Ms. Akoru has contributed to community health programs, school health initiatives, disease outbreak response, food quality control, hygiene promotion, environmental health, and community mobilization. She has also been involved in the Child Health Task Force and Kwanza Kenya Toastmasters Club. Her professional development includes training in epidemiology, leadership and management, disaster preparedness, healthcare waste management, WASH, global health, monitoring and evaluation, community-based participatory research, and transformative leadership Ms. Akoru has authored and presented work on public health and community-based healthcare, including school-integrated medical outreaches, access to healthcare among pastoralist communities, menstrual health and hygiene, period poverty, and women's health and equity. Her work has been presented at national and international conferences, including events in Kenya, Thailand, and other international forums. She has also received recognition for her contributions, including a Best Entrepreneurial Incubation Researcher Award and a Superlative Award for Best Virtual Presenter

  Period Poverty in the Contexts of Nomadic Pastoralism; A case Study of the Nomadic Pasrolists in Turkana County, Northern Kenya  RA1, 1Public Health Department   ABSTRACT  Period poverty occurs when Menstruators do not have access to adequate supplies to manage periods related challenges in relation to menstruation. An estimated 65% of Menstruators in Kenya cannot afford sanitary pads, resorting to unhygienic methods of managing menstruation. The struggle to afford menstrual products is a crisis that affects many Menstruators, particularly those who live in low-income setting .The study is aimed at advocating for nomadic pastoralism as emergency situation and menstrual health and hygiene of nomadic Menstruators  be included in development agenda. Period poverty affects 90% of Menstruators in Turkana county, where 85% of the residents are nomadic pasrolists, spending 80% of their time in nomadic migration , livestock rearing is livelihood of 85% of the residents, absolute poverty index standing at 82.7%,and illiteracy levels at 90% among women .In a participatory study conducted in  20 primary schools, targeting teenage and adolescent girls, out of the sampled, population of 400 girls, revealed that 313 girls used approved sanitary pads,furthermore,178 used donated and 135 borrowed,  87 used rags. Majority of girls used pads for a whole day; many others dried and washed used pad ready for the next cycle, a significant number had used rags. Girls in purely nomadic schools expressed facing isolation, threats of being married off and sitting on a mound of sand within a shelter for the entire period.  Purposive sampling in nomadic and hard to reach schools, mixed data collection methods were used       Keywords: Period Poverty, Menstruators, Nomadic pastoralists, Pastoralism, nomadism, sanitary pads