A Non-governmental organization, Pad a Queen Initiative has organized a menstrual health education programme for people of Moro Communities in Kwara State, with a call on women and girls to always maintain personal hygiene especially during their menstrual period.
The programme was organized in commemoration of this year’s World Health Day which is usually celebrated every 7th of April.
Over 100 secondary schools students and women in Abati Tepatan community, Oyun, Jokolu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, participated in the sensitization programme.
The programme featured female reproductive health education, menstrual health education, use and maintenance of reusable sanitary pads, free distribution of reusable sanitary pads among others.
The community outreach tagged Menstrual Health Education for All (MHEFA Outreach Project), was jointly organized by Pad A
Queen Initiative (PAQi) in partnership with The Future Hope Child Aid Foundation (TFHCAF).
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Programme Director for PAQi, Olateju Ridwan said the organization was established in the year 2021 with the aim of creating awareness on menstrual hygiene and ensure that period poverty becomes a thing of the past.
“Part of what we do is to distribute reusable sanitary pads. Our mission is to increase awareness on menstrual period and educate people on menstrual hygiene and their influence on general health.
“We go to school to educate students on reproductive health, menstrual hygiene and their influence of their general health. We emphasize much on reusable sanitary pads to ensure sustainability”, he said.
He added that the organization was working seriously for the realization of SDG3 which include education, health and sustainability.
“Through the education and health, we educate people on menstrual health and menstrual hygiene to ensure that students are in school while they are in their period, while the use of reusable sanitary pads is the product of sustainability”.
He explained that the PAQi which had its first medical outreach in Ilorin on Saturday in commemoration of this year’s World Health Day, had distributed over 5000 reusable pads since its establishment in various communities in Oyo State.
He said the feedback has been very encouraging, assuring that the organization would continue to do its best in educating girls and women on menstrual health and hygiene.
He also promised to make reusable sanitary pads available to households as a way of eradicating period poverty.
“With the reusable sanitary pads, parents need to not to worry about buying pads every months, their children can still go to school while on their period and a lot of problem would be solved.
He stressed the need for inclusion of menstrual health education as part of public health because menstrual health is a very critical part of menstrual health. “When the menstrual health is affected, the reproductive health will be affected and a lot of things will be affected in marital life”.
In her remark, the Vice Principal of the Abati Tepatan Senior Secondary School, Hajia Salahudeen Olayinka Habibat commended PAQi for what she described as laudable service to humanity.
She urged the participants to make good use of knowledge gained at the programme by ensuring that they take the issue of personal hygiene very serious.
A volunteer, Hawa Laare, who spoke on “Menstrual health education for all”, advised participants to always change their sanitary pads every 4-6 hours, wash their undergarments properly and keep themselves clean especially when on menstrual period.
The Program Director THFCAF, Maryam Adeleye among other volunteers who spoke at the event, said, PAQi has over the years, reached out to different communities and schools in Oyo State with the sensitization on menstruation, hygiene, and the female reproductive system, donation of free reusable menstrual pads and washing soap to each person and enlightenment on importance of their health through menstrual hygiene.
The theme for 2024
World Health Day is “My Health, My Right”, as they called on the participants to take care of their health always especially when menstrual period.
