Plan International, under its Kimberly Clerk Corporation, KCC Project has unveiled a menstrual pad bank to cater for the needs of adolescent girls during their monthly menstruation period in emergencies.
The project coordinator, KCC Plan International, Mr Afolabi Ahmed, who spoke during the launch at Manu Government Girls Secondary School Ningi, the headquarters of Ningi local government area of the state, said the programme was part of activities to mark the 2022 International day of the girl child, which is being observed on 11 October every year.
Afolabi said with the pad bank, menstrual pads would be made available to girls in schools for emergencies, noting that the lack of menstrual pad banks sometimes forces female students to be absent from school when they are menstruating.
He disclosed that the project with funding from Kotex is running for 2 years, being implemented in 3 local government areas of the state to include Bauchi, Ningi and Katagum and 32 public secondary schools are to benefit.
Afolabi who said the gesture was aimed at creating more awareness about menstrual hygiene, expressed optimism that with a sustainability plan, the government will establish menstrual pad banks for schools in the state.
Representatives of Bauchi state ministries of Women Affairs, Health as well as Education stressed the need to educate the male child on issues affecting women and girls, adding that more sensitisation would help in breaking the taboos as well as ending the stigma surrounding menstruation.
Earlier in his remark, the principal of Manu Government Girls Secondary School Ningi, Malam Shehu Sanda expressed delight, and called on stakeholders to replicate the gesture by establishing menstrual pad banks in schools, to address reasons some girls don’t attend school during their monthly period.
Highlights of the event were drama presentations, songs, lectures on how to use sanitary pads, and the handing over of 300 sanitary pads to the school authorities.
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