Through the First Lady’s Menstrual Hygiene Initiative, every secondary school-aged girl across the country is set to benefit from a full year’s supply of free sanitary napkins and distribution has already started in regions 1, 5, 6, and 10.
This is according to a press release from the Office of First Lady Arya Ali, which said that the venture is intended to benefit more than 30,000 girls and will be an annual one.
The release said that over the next few months, schools in the remaining regions—2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9—will receive their allocation for distribution.
This initiative by the First Lady, which was launched early last year, is aimed at promoting menstrual hygiene and ending period poverty, by making sanitary pads accessible to women and girls for free.
“I am most pleased, and proud, that we are able to provide one year’s supply of sanitary pads to every secondary school-aged girl in this country at no cost to them. Of course this will continue every year after this one,” the release quoted First Lady Ali as saying, while noting that having achieved this, her attention will now shift to providing coverage for women.
“Investing in interventions to empower girls to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, with confidence and without stigma, so that they continue to attend and perform well in school once they start puberty isn’t just the morally right thing to do, it also makes economic sense,” she added.
“Investing in good menstrual hygiene management to enable women and girls to reach their full potential is a critical measure to build a nation’s human capital over time.”
To facilitate the fair and smooth distribution and “to strengthen the accounting procedure,” the release said that each school has a register prepared which each student will then be required to sign when uplifting the products “to ensure that every girl child in need benefits.”
According to the release, the First Lady recalled launching the project last year with “zero dollars,” faith, hope, and optimism, and she added that “the support so far has been overwhelming,” after waiting “patiently” in hope “for the support from our partners.”
The release said that with limited funding, Ali underscored the need for donations and fundraisers which would allow her Office to expand coverage for women.
Against this background it noted the recently held “Chari-Tea” party and fashion show fundraiser held at State House, through the partnership of the First Lady’s office and Dilmah Tea.
“Fundraisers like these are therefore very important to this aspect of the project because the funding received from government only provides partial coverage for our girls.
Therefore, we rely heavily on these fundraising events, and donations to compensate for that shortfall,” the release quotes Ali as sharing, while noting government’s provision of $50 million to the initiative in the 2022 budget.
