At least, more than 100 women and teenage girls at Apo Malaysia Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, Abuja, received succour from a group of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), with provision of free sanitary pads in addressing the challenge of menstrual hygiene among them.
The NGOs, Smile Outreach in collaboration with FAB Treasure Foundation and NOB Foundation, through the Good Cycle Initiative, also launched Pad Station at the IDP Camp, during the outreach programme held in commemoration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day with the Theme: “Together for a period friendly world”.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of FAB Treasure Foundation, Festus Abigail, said Menstrual health was a critical issue that impacts the lives of countless women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities such as IDP camps.
She noted that lack of access to menstrual products not only compromises the health and dignity of women but also hinders their ability to fully participate in education and daily activities.
“This is an unacceptable reality that we are determined to change,” she said.
“Every girl and woman deserves access to the products, education, and support they need to manage their periods with dignity. This is not just a matter of hygiene; it is a matter of human rights and equality.
“By providing menstrual products and comprehensive education, we can empower girls to take control of their menstrual health, break the silence around menstruation, and challenge the stigma that often surrounds it,” Abigail stated.
She emphasised the importance of menstrual education and girl-child empowerment stating that addressing menstrual hygiene is not just about hygiene but about dignity, rights, and empowerment.
Ayomiposi Ogundipe, Programmes and Partnerships at The Smile Outreach said “The Good Cycle Initiative” was aimed at tackling threefold challenge, commencing with the critical issue of period poverty, absenteeism in schools, and cross-generational sexual relations due to lack of access to menstrual products.
She said: “Our strategy includes the establishment of Pad Stations across a variety of settings, including schools, camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and Prisons.
“While we seek to ensure access to essential menstrual products for those in these critical locations, these Pad Stations are, in truth, hubs of awareness, advocacy, and activism designed to foster a deeper understanding and proactive engagement with menstrual health,” Ogundipe stated.
She disclosed that women and girls living with sickle cell disease have different period experiences and that to achieve a #periodfriendlyworld there was need to have inclusive conversations that accommodate these differences.
This opportunity provided through our partnership with The Smile Outreach to engage with girls living with sickle cell and talk to them about their period experience helps us to further our mission of “Leaving No One Behind”.
Emmanuella Imo, Country Director of NOB Foundation, on her, revealed that more than 100 women and girls who participated in the programme, learned about their bodies and also got free sanitary pads.
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