By Abraham Ovuoba
The wife of the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Mrs Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, has distributed free sanitary pads and educational materials to 10,000 school girls across the 13 local government areas of the state.
As part of activities marking the 2026 Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration, the First Lady, Mrs. Nwifuru, through her pet project, Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons Foundation (BERWO), officially handed over the items to the state Ministries of Education and Health.
The First Lady said the initiative was designed to promote menstrual hygiene, improve school attendance and support girl-child education, noting that the sanitary products and educational materials were targeted at girls aged 14 to 18 in the first phase of the programme.
According to her, many girls, especially in rural communities, are forced to miss classes because they lack access to sanitary products, a situation that contributes to absenteeism, and vulnerability among young girls.
“The sanitary pads are not just health materials; they are instruments of confidence, dignity and inclusion for our girls. The educational materials are meant to encourage learning, creativity and academic excellence,” she stated.
She added that the initiative would be expanded to reach more beneficiaries across the state, stressing that the programme aims to improve menstrual hygiene management and protect vulnerable girls from poverty-related exploitation.
Earlier, BERWO Foundation Team Leader, Prof. Nkechi Emma-Echiegu, described the intervention as timely, noting that the high cost of sanitary pads has made menstrual hygiene management difficult for many rural school girls.
Prof. Emma-Echiegu explained that the initiative also seeks to correct misconceptions about menstrual hygiene through advocacy and sensitization, promising fair distribution of the items
“What advocacy and sensitization will do is to correct the wrong impressions that are passing around. This is a little effort by BERWO to keep girls in school, create a better future for the girl child and support their educational journey,” she said.
