Delegates at the 8th Edition of the Africa Women Conference (AWC), have donated Menstrual Cups to tackle Menstrual poverty in Zambia.
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The laudable advocacy and empowerment campaign initiative which aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, impacted young girls at Chipata Open Community School, Zambia, which caters to orphaned, disadvantaged and vulnerable students.
Addressing the students, Co-convener of AWC Dr Jumai Ahmadu stated that the advocacy visit was all about making impacts and crating an opportunity for young girls to talk about the problems they face in in menstrual health while proffering solutions to them.
Represented by the Vice President of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists Zone D, Mrs Chizoba Ogbeche, she challenged them to take the message of ending menstrual poverty to the community because every young girl is a leader.
Ahmadu charged the girls to start preparing themselves for the future, armed with adequate knowledge about Menstrual health which was imparted because when girls and women lose their chance at education, they lose life-long opportunities to fulfill their potential and to contribute to the world.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Mrs. Ann Rhodes said Menstrual poverty is a neglected issue affecting millions of girls and women worldwide which perpetuates gender inequality, limits educational opportunities, and compromises health.
Rhodes further educated the girls on the proper use of menstrual cups which could last for 10years, cut cost on sanitary products expenses and ensure that no girl misses out of education due to menstrual poverty.
Speaking, AWC Next President Blessing Gogo Ugbem challenged the girls as vision for the future, to seek, adapt and adopt sustainable solutions and to see the Menstrual cup donations as an inspiration to think outside the box to create solutions for problems around them.
“Be innovative, creative, age shouldn’t limit your thinking and creativity to make Africa proud because we look to you to develop Africa and place Africa amongst the progressive comity of nations” Ugbems charged.
The advocacy visit featured indepth interrogations on concerns by the beneficiaries on the proper use of the Menstrual Cups. They expressed happiness and gratitude for the donations, saying that it would help them stay in school.
On behalf of the School Management, Mrs. Margaret Musukuka appreciated the Africa Women Conference Leadership and partners for the life changing gesture which she described as the first of its kind.
She further solicited for greater support to end Menstrual poverty in Zambia and the Continent of Africa.
The Africa Women Conference (AWC) is convened by the Helpline Support Initiative, an NGO in ECOSOC Consultative Status with the United Nations and Echoes Africa Initiatives, New York.
The aim of the conference is to build platforms for collaboration and set agendas and viable options through which stakeholders in the African polity can channel the various resources available to African women towards the sustainable development of the continent.
The theme of the Africa Women Conference 2024 held in Lusaka Zambia is ‘Digital Advancement: Harnessing its potential for the African Woman’.
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