Menstrual Hygiene: Foundation distributes kits to 1,800 school girls

In commemoration of this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, The Healthy African Girl Foundation (THAG), recently organised an outreach to Government Girls’ Secondary School Dutse, Abuja, where it provided menstrual waste disposal system and menstrual hygiene support to 1,800 girls.

The waste disposal system consisted of an incinerator, sanitary waste disposal bins and a menstrual health station set up in the school’s clinic.

Also donated were THAG dignity kits, which consisted of feminine hygiene kits containing sanitary pads to the students, materials on menstrual health education to the school and copies of ‘My Book of Period Stories’, authored by Dr. Chinekwu Oreh, Convener of THAG, to the school library.

The outreach, which featured a book reading session of ‘My Book of Period Stories’, also had an interactive session on sexual and reproductive health as well as self-leadership with the students.

Speaking at the event, Oreh said: “This intervention was so critical because awareness needs to be raised on not only menstrual hygiene but also the psychosocial implications of puberty and menstruation to adolescent girls.”

She further added that period poverty and proper menstrual waste disposal were critical issues affecting the development of young girls, stressing that more attention should be paid to the issues.

Oreh explained that the intervention was one of several initiatives of THAG.

“Other initiatives of the foundation include the ‘Give the Girl a Voice’ Advocacy competition, which is a peer-led intervention on advocacy for the girl child by the girl child; InspireHer, an online media initiative to inspire girls to be the best versions of themselves; THAG Leadership, Character and Enterprise (LCE), a bootcamp for females; and the Awareness for Adolescent Girl Health (AAGH) initiative,” she added.

THAG Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the vision to empower adolescent girls and young women to take charge of their all round health so as to maximise their potential in line with Sustainable Development Goal Five.