• Agency tackles interval poverty in A’Ibom with hygiene packs for 1,000 schoolgirlsFemale college students on the College of Port Harcourt face rising challenges in sustaining menstrual hygiene on account of rising prices of sanitary merchandise amidst Nigeria’s financial downturn.
Sanitary pad costs have surged, with small packs now promoting between N1,000 and N1,200, up from N500 earlier this yr, whereas bigger packs have jumped from N1,200 to N1,900.
Many college students combating these worth hikes resort to unhygienic alternate options, resembling tissue paper and newspapers, to handle their menstrual circulate.
For some college students, excessive prices imply making tough selections. “I usually have to decide on between shopping for meals or sanitary pads,” mentioned Udu Knowledge Ojochei, a 200-level Human Physiology scholar. “Generally, I even skip courses throughout my interval as a result of I can’t afford the pads.”
Equally, final-year scholar Blessing Maxwell lamented the drastic rise in pad costs, noting, “After I began, the smallest pack was N400. Now it’s N900. How are we alleged to afford this?”
College students are urging authorities to enhance menstrual well being assist on campus, with requires subsidised sanitary merchandise and higher services.
“Utilizing tissue paper is dangerous and will result in infections,” mentioned Ukandu Jessica Chinazaekpere, a 300-level microbiology scholar. “The federal government should tackle this difficulty urgently.”
RELATEDLY, Oriental Vitality Assets Restricted (OERL) has launched a 12-month provide distribution of feminine hygiene packs to 1,000 secondary faculty ladies in Akwa Ibom State, aiming to handle interval poverty and the challenges of menstrual hygiene entry on account of monetary hardship.
The initiative, which occurred at Southern Annang Complete Secondary Faculty in Oruk Anam and Group Secondary Faculty in Nsit Ibom, additionally noticed donations of waste bins, water tanks, bar soaps, and academic supplies.
Alongside these provisions, college students acquired lectures on Sustainable Improvement Objectives, feminine hygiene, HIV/AIDS, and baby trafficking.
In line with OERL’s Managing Director, Mustafa Indimi, represented by Dr Uwem Ite, Head of Group and Authorities Relations, the corporate seeks to empower ladies via schooling and assets, stating, “Investing in ladies is just not solely proper for them, but in addition positively impacts households, communities, and society.”
Indimi famous that schooling alternatives are essential for ladies, with one in 5 unable to finish junior secondary faculty, significantly in creating areas.
Founding father of the Aniedi Etim Basis, Aniedi Etim, highlighted that menstrual poverty forces many women out of college, exposing them to teenage pregnancies, infections, and early marriages, stating, “Menstrual poverty is a gender difficulty, threatening gender equality and reproductive well being.”
Commending OERL’s contributions, state well being commissioner Professor Augustine Umoh and the Everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Setting acknowledged the corporate’s position in fostering neighborhood well-being.
