May 28, 2017 was observed globally as Menstrual Hygiene Day. It is generally considered to be a global opportunity for partners across all sectors to engage in awareness, advocacy, and knowledge sharing around the importance of menstrual hygiene management.
MHope and Dreams Initiative celebrated with girls in FCT Abuja and Warri, Delta State. It organized a TED interactive talk at the FCT Education Resource Centre, City Library, Abuja on the theme: “Education to create awareness among girls on the need to observe hygiene during their menstrual period through sharing of our period experiences”
Students from different schools within Abuja and Warri were all present for the event. Students from schools such as Queen Amina college, LEA Primary School, Aleytia, LEA Primary School, Gosa and Government Girls Secondary School Kaduna all shared their period experiences and read a poem about periods.
The girls in attendance all seemed very excited to be at the event, but did not hold back, as they shared their sad realities about how they had no knowledge about menstruation. They cited their first experiences and said that it was very challenging for them. They also said that they often hid their experiences from their parents and resorted to using rags and tissues because they had no money to buy sanitary pads.
11 Years old Amina who also shared her heart touching experience, said that she personally used rags because she is from a single parent home and her mother has no money to buy sanitary pads for her. She was particularly happy to have received our hygiene bag filled with sanitary pads, deodorant, toothpaste/brush and soap.
In overall, the event saw 30 students from 5 different schools from the northern parts of Nigeria received hygienes bag with sanitary pads, deodorant, toothpaste/brush, and soap.
In the event’s final remarks and roundup, Mr. Anais who is a teacher from one of the schools in Kaduna, called for increased public awareness to eradicate the misconceptions, myths and negative perceptions about menstruation and expressed gratefulness to Hope and Dreams Initiative for organizing a wonderful event.