Bauchi
NGO to distribute pads in Bauchi schools. A coalition of some non-governmental organisations based in Bauchi State has concluded plans to distribute no fewer than 5,000 sanitary pads to teenage girls in schools and communities in the state.
The Executive Director of Alwadata Lifeline Initiative, one of the NGOs, Winifred Yusuf, told journalists in an interview on the sidelines of the official launch of a project tagged “Period Reality” by four civil society organisations in the state that the first phase of the distribution will be done to the three local government areas of Dass, Bauchi, and Ganjuwa, with 1,000 pads given to girls in schools and those in the communities in each of the LGAs.
The NGOs are Kairos Initiative, Alwadata Lifeline Initiative, Attah Sisters Helping Hands Foundation, and Community Advocate for Rural Development.
Yusuf lamented the poor knowledge of menstrual hygiene among parents, schools, and communities, adding that besides the distribution of the pads, they would use their partnership for a massive campaign to create awareness for the public to know more about menstrual health management.
She said, “We’re passionate about menstrual hygiene management and menstrual health hygiene, and that is why we are part of this network pushing menstrual hygiene management in Bauchi State. We intend to go outside Bauchi State. This is because NGOs for period reality, as we will be called, period reality, is something that will be here with us for life because it is a natural process for girls.
“We’ll be distributing reusable and disposable pads and menstrual products to girls in schools and in communities. We’re coming to getting and pulling resources among ourselves to do this; we don’t have any external sponsors. We’ll be distributing about 5,000 of these sanitary pads and products. We will start with three LGAs: Dass, Bauchi, and Ganjuwa and and in each of them,(NGO) we’ll distribute 1,000 pads free to the girls.
NGO-“Even though it is natural and with us, it is something that is being overlooked, not just in Bauchi State, but all over the world.” Menstrual hygiene is avoided for several reasons, including cultural taboos and religion—but for whatever reason, individuals avoid period reality, and we cannot avoid it.
NGO- “And that is why we decided to take the bull by the horns and go beyond distributing menstrual pads, period products like tampons, reusable pads, disposable pads, etc. We want to create awareness for the government to know that we cannot run away from this reality, and it’s something we cannot just push under the carpet, it’s something we must rise up to because it is the right of every girl and it is one of the SDG goals.
“We intend to accomplish this by establishing menstrual hygiene champions in communities and schools.” We want to create menstrual hygiene champions in order to create menstrual hygiene-friendly schools, menstrual hygiene-friendly society, menstrual hygiene-friendly groups, and menstrual health-friendly households.”
“We’ll be telling boys not to stigmatize them because they’ll one day be their wives; they should not stigmatize them; they should let every girl have a dignified menstrual flow,” she added.
“Every girl needs a safe and dignified space to have her period in dignity, to change her menstrual products in dignity, whether she’s at home, at school, in the community, or a woman working in the office.” Wherever a woman is who is still having her menstrual period, she should be able to know that she can have her period, change her period products, and walk around with her head held high in dignity.”
Dr. Moji Iheme, Team Lead, Kairos Initiative, also spoke and encouraged girls to speak out against abuse and stigmatization. She stated that menstruation should not be considered unusual in the community.