AHF marks girl child day with one million sanitary pad

The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan has said the protection of girls is a collective responsibility for adults. Aisha spoke when the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) handed over 330,000 packs of sanitary pads as donation to mark the 2017 international day for girl child in Abuja. Represented by an aide, Fawekun Oyeniyi, the minister […]

The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan has said the protection of girls is a collective responsibility for adults.

Aisha spoke when the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) handed over 330,000 packs of sanitary pads as donation to mark the 2017 international day for girl child in Abuja.

Represented by an aide, Fawekun Oyeniyi, the minister said, “It is a must for every girl-child to know what to do during their menstrual period because it can affect the future of our children, it can lead to infertility.”

She advised the children to shun violence while urging them to report all cases of harassment, abuse to people of authority around them.

AHF’s Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Steve Aborisade said the day is celebrated because of the disproportionate impact on the young girls.

“AHF President, Michael Weinstein realizes that one of the big challenges for young girls globally is that they lack access to sanitary pads and he decided that they must give out one million sanitary pad to three African countries – Nigeria, Zambia and Uganda with Nigeria getting 330,000 pack,” he said.

Aborisade said he hopes this would make the government look inward to ensure that providing sanitary pads for school girls is a priority.

One of the young girls at the event, Peace Yahaya, a fresh secondary school leaver urges governments to make pads free or subsidized for school girls because they are not affordable.

She noted that girls often resort to alternatives like cloths, cotton wool, tissue paper that could be harmful to them.