Gains of G4G re-usable pad initiative in Zamfara

Most girls and women in Zamfara state, until recently, used rags in place of sanitary pads during their menstrual periods. However, this situation has since changed with the introduction of the Girls for Girls (G4G) initiative in the state. AJUMA EDWINA OGIRI examines how the initiative has impacted on their menstrual hygiene.

14 year old Fatima Mohammed, is a primary 6 pupil of Tundun Wada Model Primary School, in Talata Marafa Local Government Area of Zamfara state. She is the third of seven children in her family, and one of the girls in the G4G groups in her school. According to her, “The first time I started menstruating, I was afraid and cleaned myself with cloth and put a piece of rag to absorb the blood. I kept using that until G4G came to our aid. The programme taught us how to make re-usable pads. During our training, we were given materials to make three pads each. And after then, we make pads ourselves.

“G4G has helped me improve my personal hygiene. I was taught how to take care of myself during menstruation and even when I am not menstruating. I now have my bath thrice daily during my period, and at each interval I change my pad. I wash each pad after use, and put it under the sun to kill germs and prevent infection. After my menstruation, I put all the pads together and keep them for my next menstruation. My G4G mentors and teachers taught me the importance of good hygiene,” she enthused.

 

About G4G initiative

The G4G initiative is a component of the Girls’ Education Project phase 3 (GEP3), launched by UNICEF in 2017 and is being implemented in Northern Nigeria through collaboration between UNICEF Nigeria and the federal government, with funding from United Kingdom aid (UKaid) and Department of International Development (DFID).

The initiative seeks to empower girls with information and knowledge to help build their capacity to stand up for themselves, help put one million girls in school, support them to remain in school and improve their learning achievement.

Launching the project in June, 2017, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall noted that the G4G initiative is a commitment to improve the quality of girls’ and ultimately women’s lives by empowering girls through education.

According to fall, “by educating girls, practices such as early marriage will be uprooted and girls will be empowered to contribute to the development of their communities, states and Nigeria.” The states benefiting from this project includes Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi and Niger states.

In Zamfara, the G4G which has been established in 100 selected schools in Girls Education Project (GEP) LGAs, focuses on developing their interest in education, life skills and health. Presently, there are also 150 trained mentors on health, social and educational issues.

 

Mothers, mentors as support vehicles 

Presently, there are 150 female mentors in the schools, who train the girls on social, vocational and health based issues.

One of the mentors, who is also a teacher at Tundun wada Model Primary School, Talatu Jibrin, said the programme has improved her knowledge as a teacher and a mentor. According to the 42-year-old teacher, “There are some things I did not know as a teacher, but when G4G was introduced, they trained us and taught us a lot of things that has changed our lives.

“After we were trained, it was not quite easy convincing the girls to partake in the G4G programme, but now they are all happy they are part of it. We have all benefited in one or two ways from this programme. We are grateful to UNICEF and other partners directly and indirectly involve in making this a success,” she said.

100 local women from Mothers Association across many communities of selected GEP LGA in the state, who have some knowledge in sewing were selected and taught some skills of making re-usable sanitary pads, which is very cheap, friendly and affordable. The mothers are doing this to support their girls at the community, to ensure that the challenges faced of not going to school during their menstrual period is entirely overcome. According to them, this is dignity recovered.

Similarly, one of the mothers, 32-year-old Amira Abubakar, who has two daughters participating in the programme said, “since the G4G programme was introduced in their community, my daughters and even other girls have regained their self confidence and their personal hygiene have also improved.

“During our time, we didn’t know anything like pads, we used pieces of clothes for our menstrual period and also avoided going out through out that period, but that has changed as we were thought how to make pads for ourselves. Today we use pads, we can go out when we are menstruating without fear of being stained.”

The G4G programme officer, Zamfara state, Zarau Aliyu, while speaking on why the re-usable pad was introduced to the women and girls as part of the G4G initiative said: “Before the G4G initiative was implemented in Zamfara state, our people here who cannot afford the sanitary pad use any rag during their monthly menstruation.

“UNICEF taught us how to produce the pad we now use, to make it look like normal sanitary pad. They can wash it after each use, spread it under the sun and keep it in a neat spot till the next use. We only gave them materials to use during the training, but other consequent materials used are purchased by individuals themselves.”

She explained that materials used for the re-usable sanitary pad  includes cotton material, leather to prevent leak and stain, pin button to hook the pad to the pant and a bag to keep the pad safe until the next use.

 

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