Participants at the training
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Capacity building training for selected girls in five local government areas of Bauchi state on reproductive health and menstrual hygiene has commenced with the aim of making them self-sufficient at the end of the training.
The training is organized by a Bauchi based Non Governmental Organization (NGO), ‘Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development’ (IFWYD) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Speaking at the opening of the training at Women Centre in Ningi, Founder of the Foundation, Barrister Amina Garuba explained that the program would be conducted in Ningi, Kirfi, Itas/Gadau, Gamawa and Tafawa Balewa local governments of the state.
She also said that the training was meant to educate the girls on how to cater for themselves during menstrual periods and to produce local sanitary pads with little or no cost to them considering the difficulty they go through to get pads these days.
According to her, many adolescent girls especially those in rural areas do not know much about reproductive health adding that many poor parents do not provide sanitary pads to the girls hence they shun schools to avoid embarrassment during the times of menstruation.
Against that, Amina Garuba said that the NGO sought support from the United Nations Population Fund to train the participants on reproductive health, menstrual hygiene and the production of sanitary pads so that they could fend for themselves during menstruation.
She further stated that the girls would be taught on sexual and gender based violence and COVID 19 infection preventive measures.
The legal practitioner added that, “We discovered that menstrual hygiene is very important to women and it is a right. Many girls in our community see menstruation as something to be afraid or ashamed of. But menstruation is something that women should be proud of because when you menstruate, it means that you can procreate”.
“However, since we discovered that it is a topic that is not discussed in the open, we thought it is important that we come and educate the girls so that they can take care of themselves”, she added.
Amina Garuba said that, “When you look at the issue of pads, they are expensive now and it makes many girls to miss schools. They cannot go to schools when they are in menstruation. So we thought that we should teach them how to make reusable pads, hand sanitizer and facemask”.
She expressed confidence that, “With their reusable pads, they can take care of themselves hygienically. You can use it, wash and reuse it”.
