During its outreach programme held at Achievers Bright Secondary School, Bariga, Lagos State, the Initiative enlightened about 106 female students on how to take care of their bodies during menstruation and also distributed menstrual pads to them.
According to the founder of the Initiative, Ozioma Onyenweaku, many young girls suffer period poverty because they don’t have much knowledge about menstruation and access to menstrual products.
“The poverty with regard to period is about lack of accurate information about menstruation and access to protective materials. Many of them do not have access to pads; so we decided to bridge the gap by first correcting the misconception about menstruation and then donating menstrual pads to them,” she said.
She lamented that many students don’t go to school when they are menstruating because they don’t have protection, adding that with what they were given, they could move confidently.
“We will be visiting other schools in the rural and slum areas to assist,” she added.
Executive Director of the Initiative, Pearli Orji, noted that the NGO is poised to eradicate Gender Based Violence (GBV) and also enhance the self-esteem and self-confidence of the girls.
She added that the Initiative is also focused on tackling female genital mutilation.
“We are just trying to make sure that women and girls have confidence as they face life,” she said.
Orji lamented that due to the hike in the price of products, it’s difficult for young girls and low-income women earners to afford sanitary pads.
“In our society, things are quite expensive; it’s very hard to get hygienic; a sanitary pad is about N1,200. So, we are trying to end period poverty by giving reusable pads so that the girl child will be confident and also feel clean as she transitions into womanhood,” she added.
