The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has requested for partnership with the National Youth Service Corps to sensitize members of the public on menstrual health, hygiene and management.
It said there was the need to create awareness on menstruation for women, adolescents and girl-child on the importance of basic sanitation and hygiene, as well as ending open defecation, in order to promote healthy living in the society.
The Assistant Director and Head, Health Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, who is also the Team Lead of the Technical Working Group on Menstrual Health, Hygiene and Management, Mrs MF Shuaibu stated this today when she led other members of the group on a visit to the NYSC Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim at the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters, Abuja.
She stated that since 2014, the issue of menstruation has gained global attention and the world has set aside the 28th day of May each year as the World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day to create awareness, break the silence, change the negative social norms, tackle the stigma and promote healthy management of menstruation among adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.
“If you want to create awareness among the rural populace, the best stakeholder to partner with is the NYSC and we call on the NYSC members to join the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to create awareness on basic hygiene, sanitation, menstrual hygiene, end open defecation, promote girl-child education, genotype, immunisation, birth registration, among others”, she said.
Mrs Shuaibu stated further that in order to address the challenge of menstruation in the work place, the Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen unveiled a pad bank on 28th May, 2021, to provide free pads to women who may have emergency flow while in the office.
She said that the objective was to support women from leaving their workplace or absent themselves from office during their monthly flow.
She appealed to the NYSC to support its female staff by establishing a pad bank for use by both staff and visitors.
“A pad bank is a simple office cabinet, glass-covered with different types of pads, tampon, cups, soap, Dettol, hand towels, pants, clip hanger, hand sanitizer, placed in a strategic place in the ministry, where staff can access it, if there is emergency menstrual flow while in office”, She said.
In his remarks, the NYSC Director-General, Major General Shuaibu Ibrahim, who was represented by the Head of Reforms Unit, Alhaji Yusuf Baba Abdullahi commended the Ministry for the initiative.
He said the Scheme has been contributing immensely to the overall development of the country through Corps Members’ activities.
He listed the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers, Community Development Service projects especially Gender Vanguard CDS Groups, among others, as part of the Scheme’s efforts at improving the health and general well-being of the citizens.
He stated further that NYSC Management would study the requests as presented by the Ministry for possible action.
