NGO distributes sanitary pads to vulnerable girls

Women and girls were said to be vulnerable by nature and deserve to be loved, to enhance their socio economic status in the society.

 This was the assertion of a non-governmental organisation known as Young Ambassador’s Against Drugs Abuse Initiative, YAADIA.

The Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Saifullahi Khalil Usman who stated this during the awareness campaign against child abuse and personal hygiene in Abuja the nation’s capital, said the organisation would provide solutions to the prolonged and well documented vulnerabilities of children who lack social protection.

Co-ordinated and sustained efforts

The complexities of challenges facing the growth and development of the girl child require coordinated and sustained efforts in addressing it.

Khalil Usman said it was to understand these challenges as it affects the girl child, especially the most vulnerable living and hawking on the street, victims of child marriage, sexual and gender based violence, trafficking and drug abuse.

Speaking at the event, the young CEO Saifullahi Usman said the awareness program by Young Ambassador’s Against Drugs Abuse Initiative, YAADIA in collaboration with the street children’s parliament.

The project is aimed at making girl child understand that periods are not something they should be ashamed of but to see it as a natural process which makes every woman or a girl child special.

“This event is organized to encourage vulnerable girls to not only have access to sanitary pads and be enlightened but to also raise their voices against the taboos and myths associated with menstruation.

Around the world, girls are struggling to stay in school when their menstrual hygiene needs are forgotten or ignored. For some they are unable to stay in school when their cloths get stained and they get teased by the boys,” he stated.

The young CEO said this can only be achieved when sustainable development goals 1-17 is achieved.

 ”For as long as world over we are unable to address poverty, zero hunger, issue of Gender Equality, to mention but a few, women will continue to be relegated to the background. Having access to menstrual products needs to be a priority to manufacturing companies, government at all levels must ensure women and girls have access to menstrual products,” he said.

The 16 year old CEO Saifullahi Khalil Usman said menstruation is not women’s issue but a human issue which requires inclusiveness from both genders, he urged private and public schools to have access to the products to encourage girls to come and stay in school.

He said when girls drop out of schools at an early age, they are less likely to return to education, leaving them vulnerable to early marriage, violence and forced sexual relations. The larger benefits that come with educating women and girls, includes decrease in maternal, infant and child mortality rates as well as poverty.

“Both genders must be educated on menstrual hygiene so that they support one another. Government must also ensure children have access to toilets and clean water as this also hinder school participation. We need to encourage and raise awareness on hygiene and teach school children, members of the Community, especially street connected and the vulnerable, how to make use of reusable sanitary pads,” he said.

At the end of the awareness campaign on personal hygiene, thousands of sanitary pads were distributed by the organisation to encourage the girl child and educate them on the proper ways for it to be used.

Lateefah Ibrahim