Hundreds of teenage girls in Apomu Kingdom received free menstrual pads and practical health education on Tuesday as Dr Sekinat Bola -Oyebamiji, wife of APC governorship aspirant and President of Medical Women Association, Osun State Chapter, donated 2000 menstrual pads in a community outreach on menstrual hygiene and girl-child welfare.
The teenage girls and young women got more free sanitary pads as Dr Oyebamiji took the girls through proper use and disposal of sanitary as well as importance of menstrual hygiene.
She said ” The issue of menstrual hygiene is a key health issue which every girl confronts growing up. The challenge could be more overwhelming if and where resources to handle this natural event in human life are lacking or barely exising”
The Aspirant’s Wife added that “we owe the girls the duty to give them appropriate knowledge and orientation that would help them function as individuals and group in the society. It would also help situations where girls are absent from school as a result of confusion and stigma of menstruation. :
Olori Janet Afolabi, CNN award winning journalist and Queen of Apomu Kingdom, who organized the event said ” period poverty ” is one of the causes of absenteeism for girls in in rural areas.” She said the 2,000 pads will months for many of the girls. ” Bur the education part is what will stay with the students for life. Menstrual education is an investment in leadership”
The event, held at Alapomu hall, Apomu.
Among the entourage of the Aspirant’s wife, were Wife of APC Deputy Governor Aspirant and the Woman Leader, Osun state APC.
000 sanitary pads distributed to students from public and private secondary schools across the town. The donation was paired with an interactive session led by nurses and female educators on menstrual hygiene, debunking myths, and building confidence around puberty.
The aspirant’s wife, who led the initiative, told the students that managing menstruation with dignity should never be a privilege. “Many girls miss school or withdraw socially because they lack pads or basic information. Today we’re fixing both,” she said. “If we want our daughters to lead, we must first remove the barriers that silence them every month.”
Health workers took the girls through proper use and disposal of sanitary products, nutrition during menstruation, and when to seek medical help for irregular cycles or pain. Questions were encouraged, and the atmosphere was described by teachers as “open and judgement-free” — a rare experience for many of the students.
School principals present commended the donation, noting that “period poverty” is a major cause of absenteeism for girls in rural communities. “Two thousand pads will cover several months for some of the girls. But the education part will stay with them for life.:
The initiative adds to growing private and public efforts to end period poverty and keep girls in school across Nigeria.
