In its resolve to overcome one of the biggest healthcare challenges facing teenage girls from less privileged homes in Nigeria, Polaris Bank has launched a Feminine Hygiene initiative.
The programme has so far seen the Bank sensitize over a thousand secondary school girls on feminine hygiene practices and provide them with the items with which they could manage their menstrual cycle without missing any day at school.
In a statement issued by Polaris Bank’s Group Head, Strategic Brand Management, Nduneche Ezurike, “the feminine hygiene campaign fulfills a vital pillar of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.”
Mr. Ezurike said that the perceived ‘culture of silence and shame among school girls and women regarding feminine hygiene is partly due to cultural restrictions.
“Unfortunately, this has given rise to the transmission of inaccurate and insufficient information on the subject,” he added.
He explained that: “The intervention is an important exercise to disabuse minds of people on the myths and taboos associated with feminine hygiene, as well as raise awareness on the subject so that women and girls feel empowered to manage their periods safely, hygienically, and without embarrassment.”
Ms. Oyebola Oyedele, the lead consultant of the Green Dignity Kit project, said, “Making the girls feel a sense of worth is the high point for me. I could see the sense of appreciation and self-confidence from them.
