NSE Week: Spouses Forum Distributes Sanitary Pads To Schools
By Hannah ARIKPO
As part of activities to mark the 2023 Engineering Week, members of the Spouses Forum of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, (NSE) Calabar branch, have carried out a health advocacy and distribution of Sanitary Pads to Students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Big Qua, Calabar.
Presenting the items, Chairperson Spouses Forum,Mrs Martha Desmond Ewa explained that the distribution was borne out of the desire of the forum to give back to the society and in thanksgiving to God for a momentous year.
According to her, the health talk was designed to equip the young girls with the requisite knowledge on health related issues, social safety and hygiene as they approach puberty.
She observed that lack of hygiene and the use of unhygienic materials such as sanitary pads has caused most infection suffered by females during menstrual periods.
Emphasizing the importance of hygiene, Mrs. Ewa inferred that it prevents infection, odour and enhances comfortability during the monthly flow and advised the girls to maintain good sense of hygiene before, during and after menstrual periods.
The Chairperson encouraged the girls to embrace menstruation as a sign of maturity into womanhood with courage while elucidating that it is neither a sin nor a curse but God's design.
She said some girls might be aware of the aftermath of using unhealthy and unhygienic materials during menstruation but resort to the use of any kind due to lack of means to afford sanitary pads, hence the donation of the pads.
"The Spouses Forum undertakes the distribution of sanitary pads every year to demonstrate our desire and Commitment to ensure that no girl suffers infection due to the use of unhygienic menstrual materials," Ewa maintained.
Responding on behalf of the Students, one of the recipients, Miss Gift Ekpe Ita, expressed appreciation to the group for the gesture, noting that the sensitization has reawakened their consciousness on the importance of personal hygiene especially during monthly menstruation.
She promised to cascade the lessons learnt to not just her siblings and friends but also acquaintances for the overall benefit of all.
"This gift brought to us today will in no small measure ease our parents from undue stress of looking for money to buy sanitary pads. I pray for God's blessings to everyone who has made this possible", Ita thanked.
On her part, the Vice Principal Special Duties, Big Qua Girls Secondary School Calabar, Mrs Uso Ubi Ekpenyong thanked the Nigeria Society For Engineers Spouses forum for choosing the School for such advocacy.
She described the gesture as timely and a step in the right direction and encouraged them to maintain the tempo.
NSE Spouses forum is an organization for women whose husbands are registered Engineers and belong to the Nigeria Society of Engineers.
