Foundation partners FG, support IDPs
NAN-H-18
Partnership
By Talatu Maiwada
Abuja, Oct. 28, 2017 (NAN) The Aids Health Care Foundation (AHF), an NGO, says it is collaborating with Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to distribute sanitary pads to 300 women and girls at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
Mr Steve Aborisade, Advocacy and Marketing Manager AHF, said the distribution was part of its activities to commemorate International Day of the Girl Child which held on Oct. 11.
The sanitary pads were distributed at Gwoza and Bama (IDPs) in Durumi, FCT Abuja.
Aborisade said that the event was aimed at empowering and supporting young girls while developing their capacity and ensuring that their everyday life was not interrupted by menstruation.
“AHF believes that girls must be given the opportunity to live their lives to their full expectations and something so central to a woman’s development should never be a barrier to her success.
“Effective menstrual hygiene is vital to the health, well-being, dignity, empowerment, mobility and productivity of every woman and girl-child,’’ he said.
Mrs Christy Awunor, Senior Nursing Officer, AHF, said poor menstrual hygiene could cause stigma, ill health, infection and could also lead to school absenteeism and increased school drop-out.
Awunor mentioned that to manage menstruation hygienically and with dignity, it was important that women and girls had access to water and sanitation.
“The women and girls in IDP camps need somewhere private to change sanitary cloths or pads; clean water and soap for washing their hands, bodies and reusable cloths.
“They also need facilities for safely disposing of used materials or a clean place to dry them if reusable,’’ she said.
Awunor further urged the federal government to prioritise the needs of women and girls and to provide sanitary facilities in the IDP camps.
Mrs Fawekun Oyeyemi, Deputy Director, Social Affairs, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, appreciated the effort of AHF, adding that menstrual hygiene is an essential and integral part of every woman’s life.
Oyeyemi urged private sector organisations and NGOs to invest by contributing to the well-being of Nigerians as their social corporate responsibility.
Also speaking, Mrs Aisha Ahmed, a 32-year-old mother, said she was grateful for the sanitary pads and called on government to provide toilets as several women and girls had contracted infection at the camps. (NAN)
TIM/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola