Menstrual Hygiene Day: NGO advocates support for indigent girls
An NGO, Tabitha Cumi Foundation (TCF) has called on residents of the FCT to support indigent girls with sanitary pads for them to be dignified and maintain good menstrual hygiene.
The Executive Director of TCF, Mrs. Tayo Erinle, who spoke at a programme to celebrate the 2020 Menstrual Hygiene Day with the theme: “It’s Time to Take Action’’, said it was a pitiable situation, especially for girls living in the communities, during their monthly period without having sanitary pads.
The programme was organised by TCF in conjunction with Mercy Corps to reach out to girls in Durumi, a community in Bwari Area Council, Abuja.
Mrs. Erinle said with the lockdown, very few people paid attention to ensuring menstrual hygiene for girls.
She further said, “They may be hungry; they need rice, beans and other food items, but a whole lot of them also have the need to go through their menstruation in dignity, and we need to supply them sanitary pads to help them out.’’
“We urge everyone to support these girls by getting sanitary towels across to them as we distribute palliatives during this COVID-19 period. There is always a girl beside you; within your locality that you can make such provision for and she will have a sense of dignity while going through her period.”
She added that while her foundation provided the girls with sanitary pads, it also provided them with skills, especially the in-school girls, so that they can have ways of helping themselves when it was not supplied to keep them in school during their menstrual period, because it was discovered that, some of them did not go to school during their period.
One of the girls and a beneficiary of the initiative from Durumi Mpape, Aishatu Adamu, said the yearly sensitisation had really helped them in the community to maintain good menstrual hygiene, adding that it was necessary for them to learn what to do during their period.
The Community Head of Durumi Mpape, Sariki Danlami, while lauding the effort of the foundation, called on other spirited Nigerians to support the girls so that they would be encouraged to go to school.