Worried by the high number of girls that miss school as a result of their monthly menstrual periods, the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View has distributed over four hundred free pads to young girls at the Government Girls Senior Secondary, Oromineke.
President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View, Rotarian Uzodinma Akwarandu during the distribution alongside members of the club said the project targets the less privileged girls in public schools whose parents cannot afford sanitary pads. Akwarandu said essence of the project was to further improve girl child education and menstrual hygiene through provision of sanitary packs to school girls to avoid absenteeism during their monthly period.
“Our study has shown that 20 percent of girls from the challenged sections of society miss school because they lack access to menstrual hygiene supplies. The project also aimed at creating awareness about this being a normal phenomenon for girls and it’s time the society accepts it rather than something to hide or be ashamed of”, he said.
President of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Creek View also said in view of the Rotary International focus on the empowerment of the Girl child, the club decided to hold an awareness session on Cervical Cancer. He said the girls’ school was chosen because it is one that can be prevented with better understanding by girls and young adults.
He said: “Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers in medicine that can be completely prevented by vaccination. Once a girl child is vaccinated against the HPV, she is prevented from the infection, and consequently protected from cervical cancer plus the protection guarantees immunity to the disease completely through life. This is why we have taken it up. We have decided to go all out, to achieve a cancer-free generation just like we achieved a polio-free nation.”
Addressing the students on cervical cancer, a Public Health Physician and immediate past President of Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, Rivers State branch, Dr Vetty Agala said it is worrisome that the young girls don’t know much about the killer disease.
“Apparently the girls had never heard of cervical cancer and the fact that a Sexually transmitted infection, HPV is the cause. The project was a very good one and I recommend that it be scaled up to more girls and more schools. This programme is creating awareness among them and will help them achieve their dreams.”
