Group calls on government to provide healthcare for the girl child
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Paradigm Shift Global Team, under the umbrella of Longrich Global, an International Bioscience Company on Thursday called on government, and well meaning Nigerians to provide healthcare for the girl child.
Mrs Doris Nwakuna, the Leader of the group made the call during the campaign of give a girl pad to secondary school students in Port Harcourt.
Reports state that the products worth N1.5m were distributed to students of Community Secondary School Abuloma.
Nwakuna who is also a teacher said that the aim of distributing the products which included sanitary pads, panty liners and infection indicators was to help indigent students in rural communities live a healthy menstrual life.
She added that the initiative was borne out of a desire to checkmate the spread of diseases and infections resulting from the use of unhealthy sanitary and other products among indigent students.
“Having shared our experiences growing up as young girls, we know that it is not easy for girls to pass through the developmental stage through their menstrual cycles as students, considering the cramps, and the severe pain during the cycles.
“Some of these girls from rural communities use unhealthy materials like rags, papers among others because they can’t afford the healthy sanitary, and these exposes them to diseases like cervical cancer and infertility at adult age.
“We choose longrich product because we found out that the manufacturer produced it after carrying out a research on 13 years old girl who suffered cervical cancer,” she said.
Nwakuna explained that 170 students of the community secondary school benefited from the programme.
“What we have done today cannot be able to reach every girl in this community and other communities across the state, we are therefore calling on government, individuals, and all well meaning Nigerians who have passion for girl child to support us and reach more schools and communities in Rivers State,”she stated.
Mrs Shitue Eniola, one of the facilitators of the programme who trained the girls on personal hygiene during their menstrual period urged the girls to make good use of what they learnt to lead a healthy living.
Eniola also urged them to ensure they change their pads on or before four hours each day, calling on the society to reach every girl child with pads to enable them have a healthy adult lifestyle.
In her remark, Mrs Faustian Onwuche, the Principal of the school said she was happy for their gesture towards the school and appealed that it will be their pleasure to receive the group again.
Miss Promise Abel, the Senior Prefect of the School, behalf of the students thanked the organisers of the programme for choosing the school among the beneficiaries of give a girl a pad.
Abel expressed excitement having one of the expensive pads from the group.
