A non-profit organisation, the United States Government Exchange Alumni Association, Nigeria (USGEAA), has trained over 100 secondary school girls from Ondo State on menstrual health management and how to make reusable sanitary Pads
Speaking during the training, the Team Exchange Project Manager, Yemisi Jeff-Agboola, said the aim of the programme is to educate girls on menstrual hygiene and sanitation.
Jeff Agboola said the organisation is committed to tackling menstrual health challenges experienced by girls and women in the Igoba community. The programme was put together for girls across secondary schools in Ondo State
He said this is to give them a better understanding of menstrual health challenges, reusable sanitary towels, and pad-making skills.
Jeff-Agboola, who doubles as the Financial Secretary of the US Government Exchange Alumni Association, said, “This is one of the programmes of the US Exchange Alumni and sponsored by the United States Consulate General Lagos, aimed at training women and girls about making our reusable sanitary towel pads and to teach them about menstrual health.
“We also distribute sanitary towels for students and the less privileged girls and women; it is all about an empowerment programme for them.
“Team Exchange is a combination of different alumni members of US government exchange programmes selected to execute this type of unique project in South-West Nigeria, and we are here in the Igoba community, in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, to support them with an empowerment programme and training.
“We have invited trainers to train the community and the schoolgirls on how they can make sanitary towel pads because most people can no longer afford the expensive disposable sanitary towels.
” We are not using expensive materials for the production of the sanitary towels because we want the programme to be sustainable.
“Our aim is to target five schools; we invited 10 students from each school. So the number of secondary students and the community women and girls in total is 100 selected for the empowerment programme in Ondo State.
She solicited state government assistance through an empowerment programme for the people at the grassroots.
She said, “The area we want the government to come into is to partner with us to bring the project down to the communities of Ondo State; our own is to empower the grassroots and the communities, and we are ready to do more with the support of our sponsors.
“We have trained the girls and women on how to make reusable sanitary towels because the cost of purchasing disposable sanitary towels is too high.
“So our expectation after the training is for the participants to go back to their respective communities and schools to train themselves, and they can even start small businesses, and it’s going to help our economy. They should practice what we have trained them, and they should do it effectively.”
The founder of SegunFoods Nigeria Limited and member of Team Exchange, Funmilola Agbayewa, said, “We are here to train our schoolgirls on how to make reusable pads that will be sustainable for them because menstrual health is key to girls of their age.
“This is a project under the US-Nigeria mission that we as a team are executing, and we are using this opportunity to call on the state ministries of women’s affairs, education, health, and information orientation to create awareness about this great and laudable initiative.
Also speaking, Vera Anyagafu, the Team Exchange Project Coordinator, Lagos, said, “We are doing this programme for secondary school girls on how to make sanitary towel pads for themselves, and we also know that it’s going to create wealth for them.
“Our intentions are to move the programme from one state to another, and we thank the US government, the Ondo State Government, and the schools for this opportunity to ensure that the project is successful.”
Lifting Jeff-Agboola, one of the trainers for the project, said, “I have trained the girls on how to make reusable sanitary pads, how to wash the pads, and how to take care of themselves whenever they are on menstruation time.
“We are committed to tackling menstrual health challenges experienced by girls and women in the Igoba community, Akure, Ondo State, and its surrounding areas; our focus is on female secondary school students.”
While a participant and student of the Ijapo High School Akure, Oluwatomisin Ayodele,
She said she has learned a lot about how to take care of herself during her menstruation time.
“I have to say a big thank you to the organisers for allowing me and other students to participate in this programme,” the girl said.
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