As part of activities marking the 2024 Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo has distributed and established pad banks at Anambra State College of Health Technology, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area.
Distributing the pads when he visited the school earlier this week, Mrs. Soludo, Founder of the Healthy Living initiative, said it was to promote menstrual hygiene among girls.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is commemorated every May 28, to highlight the importance of menstrual hygiene and raise awareness of issues faced by women and girls who do not have access to sanitary products.
Speaking at the school, Soludo said: “Health Living with Nonye Soludo recognized that with the rising cost of sanitary pads, many women and girls in Nigeria are experiencing menstrual poverty as they can not afford sanitary pads.
“This poverty made many women and girls resort to unhygienic materials to absorb menstrual blood which could cause reproductive infections, urinary infection among others.
“Accessibility to sanitary pads remains a major concern and It gets even worse when menstrual emergencies break out in schools. Therefore, we want to intervene where it matters the most.”
“Establishing these blood banks will enable girls to have access to pads when they suddenly experience their monthly flow. No girl in Anambra shall be deprived of education due to menstruation,” she said.
Soludo advised girls to maintain proper hygiene during menstruation as it would help prevent infections, beat down stigmas arising from menstrual emergencies, and help them manage their menstrual cycle with dignity.
According to her, menstruation is a normal biological process and part of a woman’s life and not something to be ashamed of or to be stigmatized.
“Menstruation shows you are developing appropriately as a young woman and you should be happy because you are on the right path to adulthood,” she said.
Also speaking, the Provost of the College, Dr Daniel Ezeobi appreciated the Governor’s Wife for the gesture.
He also sought the intervention of the governor’s wife to address some of the challenges faced by students at the college.
