Girls To Women With Ease Foundation (G2W²E), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has taken the campaign against the use of rags, tissue papers, newspapers and other unhealthy materials for menstruation to major markets in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo.
The campaign is to sensitise members of the public as part of the effort to promote menstrual hygiene in commemoration of this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
G2W²E, led by the team leader, Dr Funmi Adegbile, inaugurated the campaign at different markets in Ibadan, with the theme “End Of Rags For Menstruation”.
The organisation introduced the theme to traders in Aleshinloye, Mokola, Bodija and Dugbe markets, orientating them on the health implications that comes with using unhealthy materials for menstruation.
Dr Adegbile said 28th May of every year is World Menstrual Hygiene Day, hence, G2W²E, an organisation that focuses on girls menstrual health, decided to use the day to sensitise members of the community against the use of rags for menstruation.
She said: “It is alarming that girls don’t see use of rags as a shameful thing, as they have not even seen it before.
“For instance, in a school of 300 of girls within menstruation age, you find out that 64 girls are still using rags in school, and this is quite harmful as they are prone to infection.
“Hence, it can hinder them from able to conceive in the future. So we are here to educate the parent of these girls against the use of rags.”
Responding, one of the traders at Aleshinloye Market, Mrs Alima Adekunle, expressed gratitude to the organisation, stressing that she and other traders will inform their girls not to make use of rags but inculcate the habit of using sanitary pads.
Another trader at Mokola Market, Ayo Olomola, appreciated the effort of G2W²G in reaching out the ignorant community in ensuring that they are not infected.
Also at Dugbe, a trader whose name was not disclosed, lamented her inability to be able to afford the sanitary pad which made her to use rags and therefore, appealed to the government to help subside the sanitary pad money.
At Bodija Market, Alima Ayoola, a trader also eulogised the organisation for its kind gesture of and also appealed to other organisations to emulate G2W²E.
G2W²E also shared sanitary pads to the indigent traders and did door-to-door campaigns to encourage them to regularly change their sanitary napkins, wash themselves after removing the napkins, to stop using soaps in cleaning their vagina and to be using quality sanitary napkins.
