Pulse.ng : Foundation donates 10,000 menstrual pads to students in North-West in 4 years

By Sani Idris

An NGO, MCRISSAR Foundation, said it has donated no fewer than 10,000 menstrual pads to school girls from across the North-West region in four years.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the foundation, Rabi Adamu, stated this in Kaduna while commemorating the 2024 annual campaigns on menstrual hygiene day, with the theme: “Period Friendly World”.

Adamu also advocated government subsidies on menstrual products to improve the well-being of the girl-child.

She disclosed that the foundation, in collaboration with HOLY Corp, donated the pads to the girls to bolster sanitary hygiene.

Adamu reiterated the foundation’s commitment to raising male champions that would support their female counterparts during menstruation period.

Lamenting the spate of stigmatisation on girls because of menstruation, adding that educating the male folks on the subject would provide them with adequate knowledge to encourage the female gender during the ‘periods’.

Adamu urged the government to come up with policies that would make menstruation products readily available for the women and the girl-child.

“One of the things that we do at MCRISSAR foundation is that we try as much as possible to raise male champions.

”By selecting the students. we did not just narrow it down to the female counterparts, we have to be very intentional.

“We are very intentional because we want to talk to the male champions about menstruation and menstrual hygiene.

”We have condoms littered almost everywhere, so why can’t we have sanitary pads all around too,” she said.

According to Adamu, a lot of girl-children are out of school simply because they cannot afford menstruation products.

She added, “So, we are advocating policies that would encourage the use of this product and also make them readily available, affordable and very accessible to the common people.”

In her remarks, the Founder of Heal Our Land Yeshua HOLY Corp, Sarai Korpacz, said the menstrual cycle was critical for the continuation of life.

Korpacz, who described menstruation as a call of nature, advocated the need for humanity to support and celebrate the resilience, dignity, strength, beauty and the peculiar nature of women as basic essentials of life in all its forms.

Speaking to newsmen after the event, a participant, Ayomide Olukayode from FEZON School, Ungwan Pama, Kaduna said, “The role I am going to play when it comes to menstruation is to encourage girls because they are really passing through a lot.

“The pains, cramps, and mood swings show that they are strong and we need to stand by them and treat them right. I will communicate the message appropriately to fellow male friends when the need arises.”

Speaking on the lessons learnt, another participant, Juliet Umunna from Onward Baptist School, Ungwan Maigero Kaduna, said that she had learnt to track her menstruation.

Umunna disclosed that she never had adequate knowledge that menstruation could be tracked.

She added,”Subsequently, i will take proactive measures from the Pre-menstruation Syndrome, (PMS) so that i can observe proper hygiene.” (NAN)