Foundation Promotes Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls

Executive Director of FAB Treasure Foundation, Ms. Abigail Festus has maintained that proper menstrual hygiene is necessary for the well-being and self-respect of girls and women.
She noted therefore that adolescent females needed to have conversations on menstrual hygiene to dispel any misconceptions they may have about the period.
“Menstruation is a natural part of being a human. This topic is made worse by the shame that our society places on menstruation, or anything having to do with a uterus and the taboo that surrounds these topics”, she noted.

Speaking further Festus noted: “Many women who have periods have experienced this: they are going about their daily lives before realising that they have just started. You feel nervous, vulnerable, and exposed after the awkward search for a bathroom and the earnest hope that you packed a menstrual product. This is why it has become very important to regard menstrual hygiene supplies as necessities rather than as a luxury.”

Fortunately, Festus has in the last three years created campaigns to raise awareness, aligning her efforts with the provision and distribution of menstrual products.
“From the standpoint of greater mobility and personal comfort, improving menstrual hygiene is crucial. Additionally, it lessens the possibility of illnesses brought on by bad menstrual hygiene”, she said.

She explained further that girls who might ordinarily skip class during their periods or stop attending entirely experience improved school attendance when given the knowledge and skills to maintain menstrual hygiene.

FAB Treasure Foundation, Festus noted has achieved a level of success in the promotion of menstrual hygiene through the provision of health education to girls and women on menstruation while increasing community action to improve access to clean toilets with water, both at home and in schools.

“One of the foundation’s objectives in the forthcoming ‘Day of girl Children’ is to also promote the availability and use of sanitary products as well as enable safe disposal of sanitary products”, she added.

She expressed the foundation’s belief that menstrual hygiene can be promoted in the community and schools, noting that although other women in the reproductive age range would also benefit from the knowledge and access to sanitary goods, it is ideal to start with adolescent girls.

She, therefore, urged that with the knowledge that unhygienic habits may increase the risk of reproductive tract infections, the general public is encouraged to support and participate in efforts to boost menstrual hygiene and promote the usage of sanitary pads in the neighbourhood.