By Martin Iyonguvihi
Demetrius Foundation for the Needy, a Non-Governmental Organisation, (NGO) with support from Global Youth Mobilization recently flagged-off a training on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and Skills Acquisition for secondary school girls in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The exercise which is to be conducted for the girl-child in six secondary schools within Makurdi metropolis aims ‘to promote school retention and performance of 4000 adolescent school girls (10-19 years) through sexual and reproductive health education and provision of dignity kits.’
Flagging-off the exercise at New Cambridge College, Makurdi recently, the Resource Person for the NGO, Becky Gbihi, said, the training aims to promote healthy living in the girl-child and break barriers such as girl-child marriage, early pregnancy and poverty eradication.
“We will ensure that girls dignity is protected and they are able to stay in school and compete favourably with boys, due to reduced incidences of absenteeism during monthly periods because they will be provided with dignity kits. They will be empowered with sexual and reproductive health information including life skills to increase their resilience to deal with life challenges,” she said.
Mrs Gbihi, during a tutorial that lasted for about 50 minutes taught the students on hygiene, reproductive health, menstruation and menstrual hygiene management, pregnancy and marriage, knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, sexual abuse and gender violence, malaria prevention, how to maintain good health such as avoid smoking, harmful drugs and excess alcohol.
she also demonstrated through practical procedures, with the use of sanitary pads and napkins on how best to maintain menstrual hygiene, as well as the best procedures involved in disposing such materials after use, what constitutes sexual abuse, ways to prevent such sexual abuse and how best to seek redress when such abuse occurs.
At the end of the training, the students were subjected to an exercise that aimed to test their understanding of what they learned. They were also provided with sanitary kits containing different items needed for menstrual hygiene management.
Giving her vote of thanks, a representative of the Benue State Teaching Service Board (TSB), Dooga Comfort Umande, expressed appreciation to Demetrius Foundation for the lecture, while urging the students to always speak out when they experience changes in their bodies, or when they might be violated.
“I appreciate the resource person for this lecture, because I have learned too. In our time, we were never opportune to be taught on these things. We thank the organization. I will advise you students to never shy away when you are violated or see some changes in your body. Avoid the company of bad persons and always speak out when you experience changes among yourselves,” she said.
In there separate remarks, Teclar Ochanya Egbenyon; SS2, Ede Queen; SS1, Obaje Bliss; JSS 1, and Ochanya Aba; JSS 2, all expressed appreciation to the foundation for opportunities to expand their knowledge as it relates to menstrual hygiene management.
Bliss further said, “I thank the organization for educating us and giving us so many information about menstrual hygiene. So many people have not been impacted in this way as we are, and they will continue to use wrong methods of taking care of themselves during menstrual period,” she said.
In her reaction, a representative of New Cambridge College, Makurdi, Kasim Animat Oluwaseyi, said, “it was fantastic and my reaction is absolutely positive about the training. It’s awesome. The awareness is quite timely and very useful to the students. We thank God and Demetrius Foundation for bringing this to our facility,” she said.