Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to ensuring that every girl child in the State is provided with adequate materials and the right amount of enlightenment for menstrual hygiene.
Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, Honourable Bolaji Cecelia Dada gave the assurance during her address to secondary school girls as Lagos joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day with the theme: “Together For A Period Friendly World”.
The World Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD, MH Day in short) is an annual awareness day commemorated on May 28 every year to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at a global level. It was initiated by the German-based NGO “WASH United” in 2013 and observed for the first time in 2014.
Dada noted that one of the ways the WAPA Ministry is fighting period poverty is through the empowerment of mothers through skills acquisition to enable provide sanitary wares for their daughters during their monthly periods.
She explained that the Ministry, in partnership with the SOMES Multi Dynamics company, distributed about six thousand packs of menstrual wares, and soaps to secondary school girls and women in Agboyi Riverine Communities; Ipodo Market, Ikeja; Agbalata Market, Badagry; Ilaje Community, Kosofe; and Oko Agbon Community, Kosofe.
Also speaking, the CEO of the SOMES Multi Dynamics company, and maker of Amiga Sanitary Pads, Dr. Amaka Aniekwe, educated girls on how to maintain proper hygiene during their monthly periods.
Aniekwe said every girl child should not feel ashamed of themselves during their monthly periods as it is a biological phenomenon that is normal for every female to experience in a lifetime.
She also noted that the government should look into alleviating period poverty by reducing the 20 percent import duties on materials for producing sanitary wares and remove the 5 percent VAT on sanitary pads.
On her part, the Permanent Secretary in the WAPA Ministry, Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo said the Ministry is taking it upon itself to educate mothers to guide their girl child on taking their menstrual health seriously.
