GAWE 2023: CSACEFA trains 60 school girls on reusable pads
……to mitigate absence of Gombe girls from school
Chima Azubuike
Following the continued absence of Gombe girls’ during mensuration especially indigent ones, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All, has organised a training for no fewer than 60 participants on reusable pads.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that participants were drawn from schools in the metropolis, they include Arabic College I and II (Junior/Senior), Gombe Day Secondary Senior School pilot, Inuwa Yahaya demonstration school.
Speaking, State Coordinator of CSACEFA, Abubakar Abdullahi-Hussaini, said the training was organised in commemoration of Global Action Week for Education, GAWE 2023, with support from Global Partnership for Education and EducationOutLoud.
According to him, the training would bridge the needed gap in availability of sanitary pads, caused by economic realities, adding that the materials are safe and could be sourced locally in the market.
Abdullahi-Hussaini said, “We are going to teach the students how to make reusable pads and how to use it themselves. This is because we realised that mensuration makes some of them not to attend school and this is because of the economic situation of the country.
“So we felt that if they are taught how to use it they can fix their mensural issues this will make the students to go to school and learn.”
On her part, Desk Officer, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria project, Ministry of Education, Lami Garkuwa, expressed optimism that the training would increase class attendance and encourage menstrual hygiene amongst participants.
Garkuwa disclosed that the 60 girls would serve as trainers to their other colleagues, adding that “the girls will use most of what they produce, they can sell and also use it to improve their economic situation instead of using the one that will make the toilet full. They can use it for three to six months, what they need to do is to wash, dry it before usage.”
Some of the participants who include Kareemat Ibrahim, student of GAC I, Rejoice Joshua, student of GDSSS pilot, and Happiness Mohammed, from Inuwa Yahaya demonstration school in separate interviews with our correspondent lauded the organisers, adding that it would help them understand how to maintain good hygiene especially during mensuration.
They disclosed that they would not only make use of the information provided, adding that they would cascade the teaching to their peers especially indigent ones.
