As part of her projects for girls in rural communities, a Non Governmental Organization in Imo, Dorcas Foundation For Women And Girl Child (DOFFWAG) has celebrated the 2025 international menstrual hygiene day with young female students of Atta Girls Secondary School in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.
The NGO which is known for advocating the rights of women and girls as well as empowering, enlightening and educating young girls, on 28th May organized a "pad a girl, teach a girl" campaign themed "Promoting Menstrual Hygiene and Dignity".
Speaking in Owerri before the campaign kick-off, the Founder, Dorcas Samson Achi stated that the project focuses on advocating and raising awareness on menstrual hygiene and health as a critical aspect of human rights, dignity, and health with the aim of encouraging a shift towards a society that supports and empowers girls and women during their menstrual cycle.
She emphasized that the NGO wish to break the silence surrounding menstruation, end the stigma, and ensure that young girls in Imo are provided with sanitary materials to have a safe, dignified and comfortable menstrual hygiene experience.
According to her, she observed that some female students and teens residing in rural communities are not very knowledgeable about puberty and menstruation, hence hope to use the campaign to sensitize and equip them on how to manage their puberty, menstruation, ovulation, while maintaining appropriate menstrual hygiene, good diet and positive attitude.
The campaign officially commenced in Atta Girls Secondary School now Atta High School with detailed lectures on menstruation, ovulation and personal hygiene aptly delivered by Harriet Ijeoma, a Woman Rights Advocate and Media Practitioner. Aside the lectures on health, Ijeoma revealed the intricacies of career choice, with emphasis on the students' personal interests, inclinations and dreams.
210 female students of both Junior and Senior Secondary actively participated in the lectures, sharing their menstrual challenges and experiences in their journey to womanhood. A good number of them asked numerous questions drawn from their individual menstrual experiences and revealed the different items they use to soak their menstrual flow.
The Foundation also organized an impromptu prize giving quiz competition amongst the students which centered on puberty and menstruations with the aim of deepening the menstrual subject and making the teenage girls conversant with the terminologies of the subject. The quiz recorded great success with 10 of the students in participation. The participants were rewarded with books and other learning materials.
The NGO freely distributed writing materials, sanitary pads and books on menstrual management to the female students to celebrate the international menstrual hygiene day.
The Vice Principal of the school, Mr. Samson Iwuala who witnessed the insightful lectures delivered by the NGO, appreciated the founder of the NGO for her efforts towards impacting knowledge and dishing out indispensable health information to the students. He thanked her for her commitment in women and girls' development.
A classroom teacher who doubles as the School's Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ebele Onyeji thanked the Foundation for the material and knowledge based gifts given freely to the students, expressing hope that the lectures will be useful to the students both now and in the future.
The students took turns to express their gratitude to the NGO for the intervention project and testified of the lessons they have learned and knowledge acquired.
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