The West Africa Container Terminal has partnered with Dofy Global to empower 150 students of Government Secondary School, Onne, Rivers State on how to produce eco-friendly reusable sanitary pads.
In a statement on Thursday, the terminal operator said the move aimed to break the stigma surrounding menstruation.
The terminal operator explained that it started Menstrual Justice Programme in the fourth quarter of 2023 to enlighten girls in school, “because many female students miss classes and sometimes examinations because they are menstruating,”
According to the statement, the program also aimed at addressing period poverty, a problem identified during the company’s community needs assessment where girls resort to trading sex for sanitary products.
Speaking during the event, WACT Community Relations Manager, Justin Okwuofu, said the company decided to celebrate the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day as a way of breaking the taboo of public discussion on menstruation.
He also said the program addresses the first three thematics of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility interventions namely health, education, training & development.
“When we started the Menstrual Justice Programme in late 2023, the aim was to train students (female and male) on how to produce reusable eco-friendly pads
“Apart from the stigma, shame, exclusion, and taboos associated with ladies mensurating, the conventional disposable pads cost between $1.3 to $ 1.9 per pack and the average girl cannot afford this,” he said.
Okwuofu highlighted the terminal operator’s effort to ensure the sustainability of the training stating that the students were provided extra materials, including four new sewing machines, to produce more sanitary pads.
He reiterated that during the training conducted for the students on the production of eco-friendly reusable pads, WACT gave each of the students two sets of materials to produce their sanitary pads.
“However, with the large population of the school, we were only able to train 150 students, and to further support them, we provided a pack of reusable eco-friendly sanitary pads to each trainee to add to what they were able to produce themselves
“We also donated four new sewing machines to the school to enable the students to produce more sanitary pads,” Okwuofu said.
Also speaking, the WACT Senior People Business Partner, Chinelo Obienyem, said that celebrating the World Menstrual Hygiene Day gave WACT a platform to make a positive impact on the host community’s awareness and understanding of menstrual hygiene particularly, as it concerns the girl child.
“World Menstrual Hygiene Day is an important awareness day, and WACT is taking action to make a positive impact
“By teaching the girls how to make eco-friendly sanitary pads and providing materials, we are not only helping them manage their periods with dignity but also empowering them with valuable skills and knowledge,” Obienyem said.
The Chief Executive Officer and Principal Partner of, Dufy Global, Victor Akubor, said the celebration of the World Menstrual Hygiene Day and the training on eco-friendly pad production was a result of the poor menstrual health and hygiene exacerbating social and economic inequalities amongst some girls and women which also negatively impacts their education, health, safety, and human development.
The Principal of Government Secondary School, Onne, Clara Wali, described the activities carried out by WACT as humanitarian.
“The program has helped the school in training students to produce their sanitary pads thereby reducing the number of students who come to her to plead for sanitary pads because they cannot afford it,” Wali concluded.
