Non-Governmental Organisations –Lola Cater for the Needy Foundation, Every Child is a Star Foundation and WaterWide –say they have trained no fewer than 150 women and young girls on the production of reusable sanitary pads in Sabon Wuse community of Tafa Local Government Area of Niger.
Miss Ololade Ogunnubi, Founder, Lola Cater for the Needy Foundation announced this on Saturday at a workshop organised by the organisations to promote menstrual hygiene among the women and girls in the community.
She added that the initiative was born out of preliminary research earlier carried out to ascertain the needs of the community.
Ogunnubi added that findings from of the research revealed that large number of women and girls lacked adequate information on water, sanitation and hygiene practices.
“We found that they do not have adequate knowledge on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices as well as how to take care of themselves during menstruation.
“We decided to come to the community to put them through and let them know that unsafe hygiene practices can put them at risk of contracting all forms of diseases.
“We are going to be talking with them on gender based violence and how to report such cases when they are violated,” she said.
Mr Wilson Atumeyi, Chief Executive Officer, Water with Development (WaterWide), noted that “it is necessary to enlighten women and young girls in rural communities on how to purify their water and how to maintain menstrual hygiene.
“We want them to understand what best WASH practices mean, as it is in line with the current coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world.
“As we all know that washing ones hands with water and soap is the first line of defence to combating the spread of the pandemic”.
He however called on the local and state governments to provide functional boreholes in rural communities in the state.
“If we keep on preaching WASH practices and the people do not get access to clean water, our campaigns will just be in vein,”he said.
The Community Head, Mr Hashimu Lawal, appreciated the organisation for their kind gesture, which he said, would go a long way in improving the health of women and girls in the community.
A beneficiary, Miss Zainab Yusuf, said the training on reusable pads had exposed her to things she did not know about menstrual hygiene.
“I now know how to take care of myself when I am having my periods,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured pep talks on gender-based violence and also the distribution of reusable sanitary pads to the women and young girls in the community.
The theme for the workshop is “Rural Women and Girls building resilience”.(NAN)
