Sure Start Initiative calls for increased awareness on menstrual hygiene

Sure Start Initiative have harp on the need for federal government to scale up awareness among young girls on menstrual hygiene to reduce infectious diseases among others.

The Founder of the initiative, Hajia Binta Shehu-Bamalli during a Menstrual Hygiene Management and Cervical Cancer prevention lecture for the Pupils of Al-NOOR Academy yesterday in Abuja bemoaned poor awareness among girls on the maintenance of their menstrual hygiene.

She pointed out that poor management of menstrual hygiene could lead to reproductive health issues, like infertility, fallopian tube blockage among others.

She noted that the project is focused on the reproductive health of the girl child as it relates to their menstrual hygiene management especially as it relate to their education while in school.

Bamalli also disclosed plans to take the campaign on menstrual hygiene management to the streets during the May 28 Menstrual hygiene management day, ensuring that every girl get the information.

Lamenting that government is not doing enough in propagating menstrual hygiene, she said the issue is not on in the school curriculum and cannot be replaced with Biology courses. She said the core information on the issue are not given to girls.

“Why do we have to wait before issues arise for us to start addressing them, let us start addressing those issue now. Prevention is better than cure, what they are not doing right can be changed and what they are doing right can be added to” she stated.

The founder of the initiative said the plan is to pick 5 ambassadors for the project among the girls, and the project representatives would be such that have been trained, mentored and would travel round the country with us to spread the message among other girls.

The project according to her is designed to cover 5 states of Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, FCT and Nasarawa.

The Speaker at the Lecture, Air Wing Commander Hajara Bashari stressed the need for government to prioritize the reproductive health of the girl child, as hygiene related disease in girls graduate from minor to major.

She said “if this girls are not properly educated and not taught how to take care of themselves a lot of problem arise. Sometimes they come up with abnormal pregnancies, menstruation, bleeding among others.”

Stressing the need for the ministry health to increase awareness among girls to curb some of the diseases, AWC Bashara called that the federal government must begining to encourage schools to hold lectures on menstrual hygiene management.

She however advised girls to use disposable cotton-like materials for the menstrual cycle rather than using materials with rough surface as such could cause irritation in the vagina.