As part of efforts to improve menstrual hygiene among girls and women in Nigeria, an NGO, ACIEO Foundation, has distributed sanitary pads to girls in Lugbe village (AMAC) and New Kutunku, Gwagwalada, in the FCT.
The Team Leader of ACIEO, Jennifer Omale, stressed that sanitary pad should be free for girls and women in order to promote and improve menstrual hygiene across the country.
About 1,000 menstrual pads, hand gloves and nose masks were shared to 500 girls in the two communities.
A medical expert and the Disaster Management Coordinator for the Nigerian Red Cross (NRC), Victoria Ekenma, advised the girls and women to practice personal hygiene during menstruation.
She said, “Menstruation means every month the female body releases eggs and the lining of the uterus becomes thick. And then when the eggs are not fertilised, they break down and are released from the body in form of blood.
“During menstruation, you should know how to keep good hygiene; you need to wash as frequently as you can, and also change your pad regularly.”
She added that, “If you use pad for more than four to six hours, bacteria grow on it and leads to infection. If you have a heavy flow, change between two to four hours, so that you don’t get infected. Because when you leave it for long, bacteria grow on it; which can cause skin irritation and rashes.”
