WaterAid advocates allocation for menstrual hygiene in schools

An international non-governmental organization, WaterAid Nigeria, has advocated for budgetary allocation for menstrual and sanitary hygiene in schools so as to help girls remain in school all through the year.

The agency said this would allow the girls to not skip school because they are on their menstrual period.

The Acting West African Regional Advocate for     CIbrahim Musa stated this in Abuja during a Menstrual Hygiene Management Dissemination and Training Workshop for WaterAid West Africa staff and partners.



Musa said although menstrual hygiene had been domesticated in some school curriculum in Ghana, some teachers, he said; do not have the right knowledge and materials to teach the students.

He said their appeal to the government is to give budgetary allocation to ministry of Education and Health in Nigeria to support re-training of teachers to have appropriate knowledge on menstrual hygiene management.

Musa further stressed the need for more budget provision to the core northern areas where there are myths on menstrual management, adding that there is also need to carry along the religious leaders to interpret the issues surrounding menstruation correctly.

He also appealed to the male teachers to provide physiological support to girls during their menstrual period and not see it as women talk.

Musa said: “Our riding point is to ensure that menstruation is seen as a biological process just like defecation or urination and maintaining hygiene during menses is important for women and girls’ well being, mobility and dignity as there is need to manage menstruation hygienically.”

He further stressed the need for women and girls to have access to water and adequate sanitation, noting that is why menstrual hygiene management is important when considering women’s participation in the development process because it is fundamental dignity of women and girls.

He said a study was carried out in Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Mali while Benin, Cote D’ivore, Guinea and some West Africa countries were selected for advocacy for the project work and it was discovered that Menstrual Hygiene Management is a culturally vexed subject, and approached with different lenses in academic literature due to modernity.

Musa said it was discovered that there was little adherence and reference to some international conventions on non-discrimination against women and girls.



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