Telecommunications company Globacom, through its social investment arm, Glo Foundation, has organised menstrual health awareness programmes for schoolgirls across Nigeria to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.
The foundation, in partnership with Health Aid for All Initiative (HAFAI), an NGO, held the health awareness campaign on Wednesday in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin, Owerri and Kaduna.
The initiative aimed to educate 100 girls in each location on menstrual hygiene and related health issues.
In a statement, Glo Foundation said the campaign was designed to help young girls maintain confidence and avoid being held back by menstrual health challenges.
“Menstrual periods should never be a reason for a girl to lose confidence, miss school, or feel held back. That’s why we put this initiative together, where we also provided menstrual care kits to the young girls in these selected states, to ensure that they have not just what they need, but also the reassurance that their growth and dignity matter,” the statement read.
The selected schools included Community Secondary School, Port Harcourt, Methodist Government Junior High School, Agege, Lagos, LGEA Upper Basic School Kudansa, Maraban Rido, Kaduna, Oba Ewuare Grammar School, Oko Central, Benin City, Orogwe Secondary School, Owerri and Junior Secondary School, Dutse Sagwari, Abuja.
In Lagos, medical doctor and public health specialist Dr Ugorchi Ohajuruka and Lara Rowland took the students of Methodist Government Junior High School through discussions on menstrual health management, hygiene, gender-based violence and mental health.
The principal of the school, Olawale Adebakin, commended the initiative, noting that attention to the well-being of the girl child was important for national development.
The International Day of the Girl Child, established by the United Nations, is marked every October 11 to promote the rights and empowerment of girls around the world.
