Anambra First Lady Distributes 10,000 Sanitary Pads to School Girls in Anambra

By Uche Eke

Wife of the Anambra State Governor , Mrs Nonye Soludo has distributed 10,000 Disposable pads to young girls across schools in the state.

The pads were distributed at the Light House Awka, shortly after the launch of Flow With Confidence initiative by the Wife of the President ,Senator Oluremi Tinubu who donated 370,000 Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand Disposable sanitary pads to school girls across the 36 states and the FCT.

Mrs Soludo while reading the text of the first lady at the Government House Awka, said the benefiting girls drawn from various schools in the state will have acess to the Disposable pads for one year through the Pad Banks established in the state.

Radio Nigeria Correspondent Uche Ndeke reports that the theme of the National Launch which is part of the Renewed Hope Initiative is Empowering School Girls Through Menstrual Health.

There are several challenges that confronts the girl child who had attaind the pubit period which include fear of stigmatization , shyness, lack of proper sanitary knowledge, misinformation as well as financial constraints to get a sanitary pad when menstruating.

To reduce these burdens on the Girl Child, the Wife of the Anambra State Governor Mrs Nonye Soludo under her Healthy Living Initiative established Pad Banks in schools across the state where pads are distributed free to the girl child.

The idea yielded result as the Wife of the President Senator Oluremi Tinubu stepped up the initiative by donating 370,000 disposable pads to the state’s for onward distribution to the girl child in the country.

Senator Tinubu who was represented by the Wife of the Anambra state governor Doctor Nonye Soludo noted that menstrual issues have become a challenge to school girls especially at the grassroots, inhibiting aspirations and disrupting the education of the girl child, stating that the initiative was envisioned to address such challenges.

Senator Tinubu said no girl child should have to choose between her menstrual dignity and her educational pursuit, but all must be able to pursue both without any disruption.

The Wife of the President while explaining that the disposable sanitary pads were chosen because of how safe and reliable they are in handling menstrual health ,called on the Chairmen of the 774 LGA in the country to take ownership of the pad bank initiative, insisting that the pads are not to be sold.

She said over two billion naira was put into procuring the pads from a local manufacturer and urged well-meaning Nigerians to key into the initiative so that more young girls in the hinterlands can be reached.

Speaking on her Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo Scholl Pad Bank portal, the Wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Soludo explained that the initiative was to ensure that the young school girls across the state do not lack the basic products to take care of their menstrual hygiene

She regretted that many young girls in the rural areas were using pieces of cloths, tissues and other items in place of sanitary pads, noting that such development exposes them to infections and unhygienic practices.

In a lecture, the Programme Coordinator HIV/AIDS Anambra State Ministry of Health, Dr Tonia Mbagwu described menstruation as a physiological process for a normal girl child and should not be cause for stigmatization.

She advised the young girls against being intimidated to believe different myths peddled about menstruation, urging them to manage their menstrual health with pride and dignity while maintaining proper hygiene.

The Member representing Onitsha North Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs Mimi Azikiwe, noted that Senator Tinubu and Dr Soludo initiative is a good step aimed to empower young girls with confidence to handle their menstrual health with pride.

In a presentation, one of the coordinators of the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo School Pad Bank Initiative, Mr Jideobi Ogbo said the portal was developed to be able to communicate effectively with school coordinators of the Healthy Living clubs and is basically to help plan appropriately and ensure seamless running of the pad bank initiative.

Other stakeholders who spoke during the launch including School administrators and women leaders noted that after the several campaigns and sensitization by the Wife of the Governor , many school girls who hitherto were shy now communicate effectively concerning their menstrual flow with Confidence, share their challenges and other feminine issues with relevant persons.