Young school girls have been encouraged to regard their menstruation with a sense of pride rather than fear.
A group of Ebonyi civil society organizations under the platform of Ebonyi Women and Girls Rights Advocates (EWoGRA), gave encouragement during a campaign at Army Day Secondary School, Abakaliki, on Thursday.
The group also educated the students on gender rights and expected social behaviors to avert the antics of traffickers and shun other vices in society.
The campaign was a fallout of activities by the group in commemoration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2022.
The event was organized in collaboration with USAID-Integrated health program, Development and Integrity Intervention Goals Foundation (DIG), Humanity Foundation, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) among others.
Speaking during the event, the State Coordinator of EWoGRA, Lorieth Nwafor, noted that the World Menstrual Hygiene Day observed May 28 annually provides opportunities to educate, guide and sensitise women, especially girls on safe and healthy menstrual management and other issues relating to their reproductive health.
She explained that the group had earlier carried out other activities relating to the celebration, adding that the school event was delayed due to some logistics issues.
Nwafor, a staff of Initiative for Social Change in Africa (VOFCA) and State Coordinator of Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), advised the students to always maintain their human integrity and seek information regarding their sexuality from the right sources: parents, teachers and other experts.
Nwafor said: “As part of events we lined up in commemoration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022, we decided to take the campaign to Army Day Secondary School.
“World Menstrual hygiene day is set aside globally to sensitize the female child, get them prepared about their menstrual cycle and hygiene.
“We are here to make them understand that menstruation is a normal befitting process which every woman should be proud of when it begins.
“We are here to sensitize the female children on how and where to seek the right information when the time comes without being deceived by the wrong people.”
Representatives of other partners, including Paul Nwankwo of Humanity Foundation; Nnenna Bennet of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists and Fortuna Okeh of Akunna Widows and Orphans Foundation among others, took turns to educate the school children on diverse issues relating to their rights, health and social wellbeing.
Some of the students, including the Deputy Senior Prefect of Army Day Secondary School, Ezinne Chukwu, in an interview, appreciated the organisations for the gesture, acknowledging the many benefits she derived from the visit.
Chukwu said, “I feel excited over this event, for remembering us.
“We learnt a lot and we pray God to bless you.
“As a female, I have learnt that menstruation is not supposed to bring fears; that it is a safe thing that every female child must experience.
“I have also learnt self confidence to be on a safe side, not to be deceived.”
Highlight of the event was the distribution of menstrual sanitary pads to the female students as well as drama session depicting the dangers in trafficking.
The theme for the year’s celebration is “making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.”
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