Stakeholders applaud UNICEF intervention in boosting menstrual hygiene in schools

From Paul Orude Bauchi

Habiba Abdullahi (not real name) was embarrassed when she first experienced menstrual period at the age of 11 while in Junior Secondary School 1.

The teenager was so afraid that she cried when she saw blood stain on her school uniform. 

“It was my seat mate that noticed blood on my uniform and she shouted ‘blood’,” she said.

“I almost fainted because it happened in class and I didn’t know what it was. I was so scared so I ran home to meet my mother,” Habiba said.

Menstruation is a crucial stage in a women’s life but it is also a nightmare for millions of women world-wide who do not have access to basic sanitation during their period.

Many societies have misconceptions and taboos surrounding menstruation and do not talk about it openly.

The United Nation’s Children Fund, UNICEF, estimates that one in 10 girls in Africa missed school while on their periods.

According to experts, menstruation affect girls’ attendance and participation in education globally, and adolescent girls dropping out of school 

As parts of efforts to address menstrual effects on girls’ school attendance and participation, UNICEF, Bauchi Field Office has carried out various interventions on menstrual hygiene management in schools across the field office.

Among such interventions include trainings for adolescent Girls in schools in Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Plateau States in the Field Office.

The UNICEF trainings, which are being carried out in 12 selected local government areas across the five states, are funded by the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation-Accelerated Sanitation and Water for All Programme II (DGIS-ASWA II).

They are geared towards empowering adolescent girls and even boys with knowledge to guide against taboos and misconceptions about menstrual period.

Several adolescent girls have benefited from the training on hygiene management and manufacturing of local affordable sanitary pads.

UNICEF also equipped many schools in the benefitting local government areas with boreholes, modern toilet facilities with running water for both boys and girls to boost menstrual hygiene and prevent girls in their period from skipping classes.

To further spread the campaign, UNICEF has selected some local government areas in Bauchi State for the pilot programme to train more adolescent girls who would soon start menstruation to learn the hygiene aspect of it.

 “Not only the girls, some boys also would be selected to gain knowledge that menstruation is not a taboo but rather a normal circle of life to women who need men support during menstrual period,” a message from UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, disclosed.

While assessing the situation, critical stakeholders in the education sector in Adamawa state applauded the success of the UNICEF intervention in the area of menstrual hygiene saying it has shattered age-long taboos

They expressed gratitude with the continued support and interventions by UNICEF in the state urging that the success in Adamawa should be replicated nation-wide.

They made this known during a one-day field visit to Tsohon Tikke primary school, one of the schools which benefitted from the recent trainings for adolescent girls by UNICEF.

The stakeholders regaled the visiting team of reporters with how the intervention changed their world views about menstruation completely.

Musa Umar, head teacher of the school, noted that the contributions of the partners especially UNICEF can never be overemphasized.

Umar explained that what used to be in the dark has now been brought to the day light courtesy of the trainings as issues surrounding menstruation are freely discussed in the open.

“In a conservative society such as ours, it was hitherto seen as a moral bankruptcy to talk about issues like that,” he stated.

“In fact when the issue was first muted to me, I shrank with excitement and fear because I could not see myself, a Fulani man, discussing such issue with my students.

“But as it is now the training has led to a seamless relationship between the parents, teachers and the students and whenever any friction arises as a result of misconception, we usually address that amicably in a family way”

He noted that most of the taboos and misconceptions around menstruation especially concerning new starters were being discarded because of the massive awareness created by UNICEF as both students, teachers and parents have built mutual trust on the subject

He commended UNICEF for equipping the school with a borehole, modern toilet facilities for boys and girls, noting that the development has improved learning atmosphere in the school.

While also thanking UNICEF, the Coordinator of Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH) for Jada Local Government Area, Obadiah David, disclosed 60 adolescent school children aged between 13 and 17 across 20  schools in the area have been impacted by the training.

David urged other well-meaning individuals and organizations to complement the good gesture of UNICEF  

In her view as a beneficiary and student, Aisha Suleiman, 15, opined that the knowledge impacted on them would go a long way in changing the narratives without fear of repercussion

Suleiman noted that making of the local pads had addressed the challenges of skipping classes due to menstrual period as well as monetary pressure of having to buy the manufactured pads which goes at exorbitant price                                                                                                  

The stakeholders noted that the UNICEF intervention has improved learning atmosphere in most schools in Adamawa state.

Teachers and school children  alsoregistered their appreciation during a field visit by a team of UNICEF officials in company with some journalists to some schools in Jada and Guyuk local government areas of Adamawa State.

They observed that the UNICEF trainings have led to huge impact and curbed the incidences of stigmatisation and nonattendance of school by girls during their periods.

The stakeholders revealed that high rate of non-adherence to hygiene during menstrual periods and other harmful practices have reducing among female students because of provision of adequate facilities in schools by UNICEF.

They expressed that in some instances, even teachers, male and female school children were trained on the need to adhere to best practices, especially on personal hygiene of girls to menstruation during school hours and even at home.

Perceptions on primitive and negative beliefs on menstruation by female in societies are changing with these trainings, the stakeholders said.

Following the UNICEF interventions, stakeholders observed that menstrual hygiene management is now being discussed in the open unlike in the past.

“With UNICEF intervention, stakeholders are now on the same page, discussing the issue freely,” a stakeholder noted.

“The outcome of the intervention and support has become a win-win situation for the growth of education in the benefitting schools”.

Now young girls are making money as a result of the training from the new entrepreneurship opportunity owing to their abilities to manufacture reusable menstrual pads locally which is cheaper and can be reused for up to six months, opined by a stakeholder.

Now, girls who experienced their first period like Habiba do not have to panic, run home or skip school because with the interventions by UNICEF, they feel safe to attend and stay in school throughout menstruation.