By Draxon Maloya.
Malawi (News of The South) – A total of 5000 girls are expected to benefit from a new Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) program which has rolled starting from Mzimba District on Thursday.
THE Executive Director for Tinah Pads, Tinnitus Kunache Mhango said this at Engucwini in Mzimba North Education Division on Thursday when she visited three schools where she distributed sanitary pads to more than 600 girls.
Mhango said, her organisation decided to embark on this program as one way of trying to achieve the 2030 sustainable development goals which among others call for equal education opportunities for both, boys and girls.
“We decided to embark on this program because we needed to cover the gap that was there in the communities where a lot of vulnerable needy girls could not afford to buy their own sanitary pads every month so we looked at the products that is durable.
So we came up with refined reusable sanitary pads that we are able to distribute to these vulnerable needy girls so as to keep them in school even during their menstrual cycles,” Mhango said.
Mhango also expressed disappointment to find Engucwini primary school which has a total enrolment of 1556 pupils to be operating without any source of clean water, a situation which she said is posing a huge risk of a possible outbreak of diseases such as cholera.
In his remarks the head teacher for Engucwini primary school, Alfred Chavula expressed gratitude with the assistance Tina Pads brought saying it will go a long way in reducing the girl child absenteeism during menstrual cycles.
“Am very much excited, very happy that we have received these sanitary pads, girls were going home during menstruation periods and stayed home there for so long, these children were lacking some hygiene practices in the absence of these sanitary pads,” Chavula said.
And one of the beneficiaries of the donation, a standard seven Olipah Kamanga conquered with her head teacher saying that this initiative will help her and her friends to remain in school even during their menstrual cycles.
Tinah Pads has embarked on a K7 million MHM, project with funding from one of the ciuntrys tourism firm, Safari Travel Agency from.
Government of Malawi and its development partners is doing everything possible to ensure that the fifth sustainable development goal which calls for the empowerment of a girl child is achieved.
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