The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has launched the Renewed Hope Initiative, Flow with Confidence program at the national level alongside other states.
Speaking at the launch of the program in Plateau State, the states’s First Lady and State Coordinator, RHI, Barr. Helen Ingbo Mutfwang, said; in today’s world no girl should miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products.
She stated that it is unacceptable that the girls continue to face significant challenges during their menstrual cycle, especially those in the rural communities who miss school days every month because they cannot afford sanitary pads.
Barr. Mutfwang said the Renewed Hope Initiative, Flow with Confidence, is a vital menstrual health intervention, designed to empower school girls by promoting knowledge, dignity and confidence through improved menstrual hygiene.
She added that under the education framework of RHI, there will be distribution of disposables sanitary pads to 370,000 school girls in rural communities across the nation.
The First Lady explained that all states including Plateau will receive 10,000 packs, saying the process is to support the girls in rural communities and those who are unable to afford sanitary pads.
She said on the occasion that she will be handling over 10,000 packs of disposable sanitary pads for distribution to 10,000 girls in rural areas across the Plateau State, adding that each beneficiary will receive one year supply of the pads.
The governor’s wife said the disposable sanitary pads offer a simple hygiene option that covers mental health benefits for a woman’s reproductive well-being.
She said the RHI promotes the idea that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education, saying the success of Flow with Confidence program depends on all, and called on chairmen of the seventeen local government areas, to ensure that these supplies get directly to the deserving girls in the rural communities.
Barr. Mutfwang disclosed that two billion five hundred and fifty million, two hundred and ninety-seven thousand, one hundred and fifty naira, is the total cost of the customized disposable sanitary pads which were produced by a local manufacturing company, Unique Glory Nigeria Limited, Ikorodu Lagos State.
She urged cooperative organizations, parastatals, agencies and public spirited Nigerians to key into the program so that they can empower as many girls as possible.
The governor’s wife also called on traditional, religious, and community leaders to support the initiative by monitoring the exercise in their communities.
She charged all to commit to the dignity and well-being of every Nigerian girl, in order to build a country where girls will always have the support the need to live, learn, strive and “Flow with Confidence.”
Speaking earlier, Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Caroline Panglang Dafur said the flag-off of the distribution of sanitary pads for women and girls on the Plateau marked a significant milestone in the collective effort to promote the menstrual health of women and girls in the state.
Dafur explained that the initiative is a recognition of the challenges faced and a demonstration of their collective commitment to addressing the challenges, saying the beneficiaries are the future leaders, innovators, and change makers, who need to hold their heads high, flow with pride and confidence because they deserve every opportunity to succeed.
The Commissioner extended gratitude to the First Lady of Nigeria and the National Coordinator of RHI, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her unwavering commitment to empowering women and girls across the nation, saying her vision, leadership and dedication to the cause has impacted countless lives and that the program is a testament to her commitment.
Dafur also acknowledged the tireless effort of the First Lady of Plateau State, Barr. Helen Mutfwang for her passion towards the welfare of Plateau women and girls, saying her support, guidance and leadership is instrumental in making the initiative a reality.
She described the event as more than just the distribution of sanitary pads, but, rather, a symbol of hope, dignity and empowerment for women and girls.
High point of the event was presentation of “spoken words” by some of the students, short clips on menstrual hygiene and the launch and distribution of the sanitary pads by Barr. Helen Mutfwang to the students at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Little Rayfield Jos.
Credit: Christy Tamai
