A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Mcrissar Foundation, has advocated for a period-friendly environment for women and girls, maintaining that issues of menstruation at workplaces and schools are overlooked.
The founder of the Mcrissar Foundation, Rabi Adamu Musa, at yesterday’s menstrual hygiene campaign in Kaduna, with the theme: “Together For a Period-friendly World’ in collaboration with HOLY Corp NYC, stressed the need for the government and well-meaning individuals to support the running of sanitary pad banks in schools.
“We are advocating for policies to encourage the use of pads in our schools and also make them readily available and very accessible to our girls.
“Providing sanitary pads bank in schools will make the girls comfortable; if she sees her period while in school, she can run to the principal office to get sanitary pads. Many girls are out of school because they cannot afford sanitary.”
Musa reiterated the need to promote comprehensive menstrual health education in schools, communities, and workplaces to break taboos and dispel myths surrounding menstruation.
She, however, said that her foundation has distributed over 10,000 sanitary pads in the last three years.
“We are embarking on a series of menstrual hygiene outreach that focuses on educating young girls/women on what to do during their menstrual cycles.
“We are dedicated to raising awareness and promoting menstrual hygiene through meaningful partnerships and impactful initiatives.
“We are also raising male champions in the society; we want to talk to the male champions about menstruation and menstrual hygiene; they need to understand this topic in order to make the environment friendly for girls,” she said.
She further said, “Understanding menstruation is not just about providing information but about breaking down stigmas and encouraging empathy and support from all members of society.”
The founder of HOLY Corp, Sarai Korpacz, urged girls and women to break the stigma surrounding menstruation.
The programme consultant Mcrissar Foundation, Methodius Karfe, identified the lack of access to menstrual products as a major problem facing girls in rural areas.
He said there is an urgent need for the government, NGOs, and well-meaning Nigerians to promote menstrual hygiene practices, especially in schools.
