The Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), the pet-project of her mother, Patience Umo Eno, acting first lady of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Helen Eno-Obareki, has underscored the importance of menstrual hygiene among young girls. He advised the growing female folks to imbibe high level cleanliness during their monthly flows.
Towards this end, she launched a sensitisation scheme across public secondary schools in Ikot Ekpene federal constituency – Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara and Essien Udim local government areas, where hundreds of teenage girls were tutored on menstrual hygiene and assisted with sanitary pads and other facilities for effective menstrual health regime.
The intervention, tagged “Understanding Menstruation,” took place at the Grooves Memorial Methodist Church, Ikot Ekpene, and participants were drawn from Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara and Essien Udim LGAs.
Speaking at the event, the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, who doubles as the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of GIFA, Lady Eno -Obareki, described “period poverty”as a silent challenge that affects the confidence, education and future of many young girls.
She told the 500 secondary school girls selected for the programme and Church members, that menstruation as a natural and healthy part of womanhood should never be associated with shame, fear or stigma, and stressed the need for proper education and access to hygiene materials to help girls manage their menstrual health with dignity and confidence.
“No girl should have to miss school, feel ashamed, or be held back simply because of her period. I encourage every girl here to break the silence around menstruation. I want you to speak up, ask questions, and seek guidance when you need it. There is no shame in learning about your body. Knowledge will always give you power,” she advised.
Lady Obareki commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for supporting the distribution of quality sanitary pads to 370,000 school girls across the country through the Renewed Hope Initiative’s – “Flow With Confidence” campaign, maintaining that the “initiative is helping to ensure that girls do not miss school or fall behind academically because of menstruation.”
She also applauded the Governor, for prioritising human capital development through the ARISE Agenda, particularly in the areas of education, healthcare and the welfare of women and children.
