AND THEY ALL SMILED

#MHDay2019#ItsTimeForAction

Growing up and passing through very heavy menstruation that I had to add up my pocket money to buy pad had always made me imagine what women and girls go through during their menstrual periods. I remember it all started few days to my resuming back to school and I couldn’t say a word to anyone except my friend who said I should go and buy a pad, which I did. The pad got finished within two days because I was bleeding profusely, with no one knowing what I was going through, I had to run to the school gate immediately I was dropped at school to buy more pad from a nearby chemist. This went on and once is my period time, to avoid embarrassment; I must double the pad, carry my cardigan and two extra pads and a pant to class. I usually get sick, and can’t concentrate in class. I saw it as normal and suffered for years in my ignorance, this is what drew my passion towards my daughters, that I took my time and taught them menstruation, why a girl/woman most go through it and how to package themselves and to hygienically take proper care of their bodies. When my eldest daughter started, she told me immediately and I was so proud and happy that she could confidently tell me. This led me to do more for teenage girls during this #MHDay2019#ItsTimeForAction; I was able to reach out to sixty girls in a secondary school with sanitary towels, taught them the menstrual bracelet and how to count the bracelet to know the date of their next menses. This brought smiles on their faces and they confidently shared their experiences. This led me to discover that more than half of them don’t have access to sanitary towels; they make use of rags during their menstrual period and this can lead to getting infected.  My next line of action is to teach them how to make reusable sanitary towels and I need couching and materials to enable me teach them and to reach out to more teenagers.