Rotary Gwarinpa Empowers Women, Gives Pads To 300 Students

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The Rotary Club of Abuja Gwarinpa has executed a two-in-one community intervention targeting disease prevention and economic empowerment, reaching hundreds of women and young girls in the Gwarinpa community.

Speaking during the outreach at LEA Primary School, Gwarinpa, President of the Club, Dr. Njideka Kanu, said the initiative was designed to address menstrual hygiene challenges among schoolgirls, while also giving women tools to improve their livelihoods.

She said the disease prevention component focused on combating poor menstrual hygiene — a major contributor to school absenteeism and infections among adolescent girls.

“We gave out sanitary pads to over 100 girls in Junior Secondary School Gwarimpa and educated them on menstrual hygiene. Many girls skip school during their periods due to lack of proper care. We want to stop that,” she said.

Dr. Karu noted that equipping girls with pads and hygiene knowledge will reduce infections and ensure fewer girls drop out or miss school because of their menstrual cycle.

On the economic empowerment component, Project Manager, Rotarian Nwoye John Bosco, said the club trained and empowered over 100 women with tailoring materials, sewing machines, and grinding machines to enable them start small businesses.

“We don’t want women to depend solely on what their husbands can provide. With these tools sewing machines, grinding machines, and training they can earn income and support their families,” he said.

He added that over 200 pupils also received sanitary pads as part of the disease prevention effort, with a long-term goal of raising healthier young women and, ultimately, a healthier society.

Immediate past president of the Club, Rtn. Obioha Elenwoke, explained that the empowerment programme was the culmination of a two-year partnership with the Gwarimpa Women Village Cooperative. The beneficiaries were trained for six months in small business management, fashion design, and hairdressing services.

“Today marks the closure of that project. We empowered the women with sewing machines, grinding machines and materials. We will continue to monitor their progress to ensure the tools are used effectively,” he said.

The menstrual hygiene outreach was carried out in partnership with One Goal Africa.

Speaking on behalf of the organisation, Mrs Tonia Chidinma Kalunta said improving menstrual hygiene was central to the wellbeing of the girl child.

“We are happy to partner with Rotary Club Abuja Gwarinpa on ‘Personal Hygiene for the Girl Child’. We distributed sanitary products because menstrual health is very important. It helps prevent infections, improves comfort and ensures overall wellbeing. Our goal is to help improve their menstrual hygiene,” she said.

Representing the beneficiaries, Woman Leader of the Gwarinpa community, Dr. Hajara Musa praised the Club for transforming the lives of many women who had struggled for years to access capital or skill-support programmes.

“You have made us meaningful to our families. With these sewing and grinding machines, we can support our children, contribute to our homes and uplift ourselves,” she said.

She assured the Club that the cooperative would maintain transparency and ensure fair distribution and collective use of the machines.

The Rotary Club urged other organisations and individuals to contribute to community development, noting that government alone cannot meet all social needs.

The dual intervention reached more than 300 beneficiaries and forms part of the Club’s contributions to improving health, education, and economic resilience in FCT communities.