COVID-19: Osun-based NGO Organises Virtual Training On Reusable Menstrual Pad Production

Non-Governmental Organisation based in Osogbo, Osun state, Value Female Network (VFN) has organised an online training for Nigerians, especially girls, on how to make reusable menstrual pad.

VFN also trained people who connected with the training streamed on all its social media handles on menstrual hygiene management.

The Executive Director of VFN, Dr Costly Aderibigbe said the COVID-19 occasioned lockdown has brought financial constraints to most Nigerians, especially girls who live in rural communities.

Aderibigbe said most girls could no longer afford the disposable sanitary pad adding that reusable pad is cheaper and accessible for girls.

She said most girls, especially in hard to reach communities resort to using unhygienic pieces of clothes for their monthly periods, a practice that is dangerous to their health.

The organisation, had last year, trained more than a hundred women and girls on how to produce reusable menstrual pads in Ponpola village in Osun state.

Speaking during the live streaming of the programme on Friday, Aderibigbe said, “in 2019, we had a training on how to make reusable menstrual pad for close to 200 women and girls in Poponla village in Osun state and we also trained them on menstrual hygiene management.

“As part of our activities at marking this year’s International Day of Menstrual Hygiene, we decided to hold a COVID-19 edition of the training which we streamed live and lots of women and girls connected with us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram and learnt how to produce reusable pads.

“These handmade pad that we trained them is easy to make and it can be used for as long as three to four months before discarding it. It is very effective, it controls flow regardless of how heavy or light one’s flow is.”

“We also taught girls on hygiene management so that they know the interval they should change the pads and how long they can use the reusable pads. We have discovered that this COVID-19 lockdown has brought a lot of hardship on Nigerians and we want to mitigate it by providing an alternative means of getting reusable pads,” she added.

Also speaking, the trainer, Miss Modupe Olabade encouraged girls to overcome the belief that menstruation is sickness but to understand that it is a thing of pride and joy because that is what makes girls women.

Olabade said materials for making reusable menstrual pads are not expensive and that the processes of making them are easy.