Maternal health: Foundation establishes reusable pad bank in Durumi IDP camp
The Theodora Anavhe Adamu Foundation (TAAF) has setup a Reusable Pad Bank at the Durumi Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDP), Abuja. Speaking during the exercise, Programme Director of the foundation, Odion Ikyo, said the pad bank would serve as a safe haven for women especially those who could not afford decent post- partum menstrual protection. […]
The Theodora Anavhe Adamu Foundation (TAAF) has setup a Reusable Pad Bank at the Durumi Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDP), Abuja.
Speaking during the exercise, Programme Director of the foundation, Odion Ikyo, said the pad bank would serve as a safe haven for women especially those who could not afford decent post- partum menstrual protection.
She said the bank would also provide the displaced women opportunity to walk in and get one free pad as well as basic hygiene education .
Ikyo said the exercise was also done in commemoration of this year’s Maternal Health Awareness Week , adding that TAAF was founded in memory of late Theodora Anavhe Adamu who died as a result of pregnancy complications that could have easily been avoided with adequate knowledge and skilled health professionals.
She said that access to proper menstrual education, water, sanitation and hygienic menstrual products, could change a lot in a woman’s maternal health.
She said the TAAF reusable pads were not only eco-friendly and washable but were also treated antimicrobially to avoid infections.
“The average span of using the reusable pad is three years and has cut down all the costs associated with buying menstrual products,” she said.
The programme director said another advantage of using the TAAF Re-useable Pads was that it eliminated the fear of exposure to carcinogenic chemicals found in some disposable pads.
“They are leak proof, fit properly and reduce pollution caused by disposable pads. For sustainability of this pad bank, we are looking at training few women in the IDP camp who will be producing these pads for the pad bank. We are calling on the government, civil society organisations, and private and corporate organizations to key into this work for humanity and help in achieving the SDGs goals,” she added.
She said some of the foundation’s projects have ranged from training birth attendants, partnering with the National Primary Health Care Board to train pregnant women in antenatal classes to giving out maternity packs which contains essentials for delivery at no cost.
The foundation also sensitized women on basic menstrual hygiene. Miss Esiro Anavhe, a staff of the foundation enlightened the women on basic menstrual hygiene management as well as how to use and care for the TAAF reusable pads.
This was followed by distribution of pads to the women and commissioning of the bank by Alhaji Bayero Alanana, a partner and supporter of the project.
Women in the camp, who were mostly displaced from their homes in Borno State as a result of Boko Haram insurgency, said they had been having challenges accessing proper and hygienic menstrual products during menstruation and after delivery because of the cost and that they often resort to using rags.
The women coordinator of the camp, Madam Liatu, who also doubles up as the midwife of the camp, said it was difficult for women in the camp to access basic essentials for delivery.
While thanking the foundation for the initiative, she stated that during her last delivery, she couldn’t afford gloves for delivery and had to resort to using plastic bags as gloves.