Inside the Journey is a Kryvent interview series documenting the stories behind the work. We speak with nonprofit founders and social entrepreneurs across different causes and stages of building about the decisions they made, the challenges they faced, what changed their minds, and what they are still figuring out. Our goal is to help others learn from the journey, not just the outcome.

Today, we are inside the journey of Peninah Wawira, a young female founder in Nairobi whose personal experience with period shame and lack of access to safe period education led her to build the kind of support system that adolescent girls from Nairobi to Kajiado, Muranga’a, Kirinyaga, and neighbouring counties in Kenya can count on. Welcome to the first edition.

Hello, Can we meet you?

Hi, my name is Peninah Wawira. I was born and raised in Kenya, in Kirinyaga County. I am the second born in a family of two children. I am a born-again Christian and my faith in Jesus Christ is at the centre of my life. I actively serve in my church as both a Visitors Host and a Service Host, where I enjoy welcoming people and helping create a warm and organised environment for worship.

Currently, I work in a perfume store in Nairobi, where I interact with customers, help them find products that suit their preferences, and contribute to creating a positive customer experience. In my free time, I enjoy spending time in nature, taking walks, playing and bowling. I am naturally social and find it easy to connect with people from different backgrounds, which helps me build meaningful relationships and work well with others.

Take us back to the beginning. What was the moment or experience that first made you feel that period poverty was something you personally had to do something about?

My journey with Nina Smile Foundation began from a very personal place. I started my period when I was 12 years old, and like many young girls, I was not adequately prepared for the experience. Although sanitary towels were available to me, I lacked the knowledge and guidance on how to use them properly. I would often stain my clothes, feel embarrassed, and carry the weight of period shame simply because I did not have enough information about menstruation.

That experience opened my eyes to a bigger reality. I asked myself: if I had access to sanitary products and still struggled because of a lack of information, what about the girl who lacks both the products and the knowledge? What about the girl who misses school, isolates herself, or loses confidence because she has no support at all?

That question stayed with me and became one of the driving forces behind Nina Smile Foundation. I realised that addressing period poverty is not just about providing sanitary towels. It is also about education, breaking stigma, restoring dignity, and creating safe spaces where girls can learn and ask questions without fear or shame.

You have been doing this work for about three years, but Nina Smile only received a name and a public presence last year. In those early days before the foundation was formalised, how did you get people in the community to take a cause seriously that many were not comfortable discussing openly?

At first, it was not easy because menstruation was a topic many people were uncomfortable discussing openly. I focused on sharing real stories and helping people understand that period poverty affects a girl’s education, confidence, and dignity. When people saw the impact and heard the experiences of the girls we were helping, they connected with the cause. We built trust through consistency, transparency, and action, and gradually more people began to believe in the vision and support our mission.

Building Nina Smile has clearly shaped you as much as it has shaped the girls you serve. How have you changed?

When I look back, the biggest change is growth in purpose and leadership. The person who started Nina Smile Foundation was driven by passion and a desire to help. Today, that passion is still there, but it is now accompanied by experience, resilience, and a deeper understanding of the impact we can make. I have learned that creating change takes patience, consistency, and collaboration. What started as a personal concern has grown into a mission that continues to shape the lives of many girls.

That growth rarely comes without difficulty. What is a setback from the early days of Nina Smile that taught you something you could not have learned any other way?

One of the biggest setbacks I faced was when some of the people we had started the journey with withdrew along the way. It was difficult because we had shared the same vision, and I had imagined we would build Nina Smile Foundation together.

For a moment, I questioned whether we would be able to continue and achieve the impact we had dreamed of. But that experience taught me that a vision must be bigger than the people attached to it. People may come and go, but the mission remains.

I learned that leadership is not about how many people are with you at the beginning. It is about remaining committed even when the path becomes challenging. The experience also taught me to be adaptable, to appreciate those who stay, and to trust that the right team and supporters will align with the vision over time.

Among all the girls you have met and worked with, is there one encounter that has stayed with you and still reminds you on the difficult days why this work matters? 

One encounter that stays with me was meeting a young girl during one of our outreach sessions. She had missed school because she did not have sanitary towels and felt too ashamed to attend classes. When I spoke to her, she quietly told me she thought something was wrong with her and that she was dirty because of her period.

What struck me most was not just the lack of products but the deep silence and misinformation she had grown up with. In that moment, I realised how many girls are carrying shame for something that is completely natural, simply because no one has taken the time to teach them or support them.

After we supported her with sanitary towels and had a simple conversation about menstruation, I saw a shift in her confidence. She smiled differently, and she no longer saw herself as broken. That moment reminded me why this work matters so deeply. It is never just about the physical need. It is about restoring dignity, breaking shame, and reminding a girl that she is normal, valuable, and not alone.

That story is a powerful reminder of why the work matters. But has there been a moment when even that kind of impact was not enough to stop you from considering walking away?

Yes, there was a time when giving up felt easier than continuing. We had planned an event that was very important to the foundation, but as the day approached, we did not have the finances needed to make it happen. I felt discouraged and overwhelmed, and for a moment I questioned whether I was truly capable of carrying the vision forward.

What kept me going was remembering why I started. Every time I thought about the girls whose lives we were impacting, I knew I could not walk away. I also held onto the belief that if this vision had been placed in my heart for a reason, then I had to trust that a way would be provided even when I could not see one. The event eventually happened, and although it was not exactly how I had imagined it, it reminded me that the mission is bigger than any single moment of doubt. Since then, whenever challenges come, I choose to focus on the work and trust the process.

You started Nina Smile with no funding, no organisation, and no guarantee anyone would listen. If a young person came to you today with a problem they felt called to solve but nothing else to show for it, what would you tell them?

I would tell them that you rarely start with enough money, connections, or experience. Most meaningful work begins with what you already have. Do not wait for perfect conditions because they may never come. Start small, start where you are, and start with what you know. Every initiative you see today once began as a simple idea backed by consistency and courage.

Impact is also not built alone. Even when you lack connections, be willing to talk about your vision, serve people genuinely, and stay open. The right people and information often come along the way. Most importantly, trust the process. When the vision is aligned with purpose, doors open that no lack can close. What matters most is persistence and faithfulness in the small steps.

What is the future you are building toward, and what does success look like for Nina Smile when you picture it at its fullest?

In the future, I see Nina Smile Foundation not only addressing period poverty but also helping to raise a generation of girls who can speak about menstruation openly, without shame or fear. I look forward to a time when girls we have reached become voices in their own communities, educating others, mentoring younger girls, and breaking the silence in spaces we may never personally reach.

I hope we will create platforms where conversations about menstrual health are normal, and where young people are empowered with knowledge and the courage to advocate for change. That way, the impact does not remain with us as an organisation but multiplies through the girls themselves.

I will feel the mission has truly succeeded when those we once supported are now leading conversations and changing attitudes in schools and communities. That would mean the work has become a movement carried forward by many voices, not just one.

What becomes clear from this conversation is that the most powerful thing you can give a girl is not always a sanitary towel. It is the knowledge that what is happening to her is normal, and that she is not alone. Peninah Wawira has built Nina Smile Foundation on that conviction, and three years in, the work is proof that starting small and being open to grow alongside your organisation is often enough.

Many thanks to Peninah Wawira for this conversation.

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