Lucy Murrey is a passionate public health practitioner and advocate for adolescent girls and young women in rural Kenya. She is the founder of The Ambitious Girl Initiative (TAG-I CBO), an organisation working to ensure that no girl’s future is limited by lack of information, access to menstrual products, or harmful cultural taboos.
Her journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures left many girls vulnerable to teenage pregnancy, sexual exploitation, and early marriage. One experience touched her deeply: a neighbour’s 13-year-old daughter became pregnant. It was a painful reminder that many girls, especially in rural communities, lacked access to accurate information about their bodies, their health, and their rights.
Drawing from her background in public health, Lucy took action.
Through TAG-I CBO, she creates safe spaces where adolescent girls and young women can learn openly about sexual and reproductive health and rights, menstrual hygiene, and the choices that can help them stay in school and take control of their futures. Her work reaches both school-going and out-of-school girls, challenging myths and misconceptions around sexuality in communities where such conversations are often considered taboo.
Over the last four years, TAG-I CBO has reached more than 4,000 adolescent girls and young women, empowering them with knowledge, support, and practical tools to navigate adolescence with confidence and dignity.
Recognising that menstrual poverty continues to keep many girls out of school, Lucy also established TAGI Pads, a social enterprise producing affordable, reusable sanitary pads that can last for up to two years. The initiative creates a sustainable model where revenue from pad sales supports TAG-I’s community programmes, while a portion of the pads is donated to girls who cannot afford menstrual products.
For Lucy, a sanitary pad is more than a basic necessity. It can mean the difference between attending school and staying at home; between vulnerability and protection; between giving up and continuing to dream.
Looking ahead, she envisions expanding TAG-I’s work across Kenya and beyond, while growing TAGI Pads into a sustainable enterprise capable of reaching girls far beyond the communities where the journey began.
Lucy Murrey is helping girls stay informed, stay in school, and believe that their circumstances should never define the size of their dreams.
