AHMED MARI, Maiduguri
In her efforts to address the challenges of personal hygiene among girls of school age, the Wife of the President and founder of Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Foundation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has flagged off the Flow With Confidence Programme with the distribution of menstrual health kits to schoolgirls in Borno state.
The programme, which is targeted at 370,000 school girls across the country, is aimed at empowering them with vital menstrual health interventions and knowledge, building confidence, and promoting improved menstrual hygiene.
Speaking at the flagging off of the programme, which took place at Multi Multi-Purpose Hall, Government House, Maiduguri, Friday, the First Lady said the programme is simultaneously taking place in seven states – Borno, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos, in which each beneficiary was presented with a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads.
Mrs Tinubh also distributed food items to women affected by the over a decade Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
Represented by the Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Nana Kashim Shettima, the First Lady said, “The initiative targets 370,000 beneficiaries, mostly from rural communities who struggle to access hygienic care while in school”.
She said it is unacceptable for young girls to face significant challenges during their menstrual cycle, often forcing them to miss school days because they cannot afford sanitary pads.
“Many girls resort to unhygienic alternatives, hence the introduction of Flow With Confidence as a safe, hygienic option to enhance reproductive wellbeing. Each state under the initiative will have 10,000 beneficiaries”, the First Lady said.
She urged them not to allow shame or stigma to affect their confidence but to boldly pursue their dreams as future leaders of the nation.
She also called on corporate organizations and well-meaning individuals to support the programme, while charging traditional, religious, and community leaders to ensure transparent distribution in their localities.
Also speaking, the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, expressed the government’s profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose leadership continues to rekindle hope and restore dignity to countless families by prioritizing economic empowerment as a driver of national development.
Zullum, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Kadafur, commended the First Lady for addressing an often-neglected aspect of girls’ and women’s dignity and reproductive health.
Earlier, the Wife of the Borno state Governor, Dr. Falmata Zulum, lauded the First Lady’s commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in society through her numerous interventions under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), complementing the efforts of President Tinubu.
The First Lady also handed over assorted food items to the Borno State RHI Coordinator, Dr. Falmata Babagana Zulum, for onward distribution to vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.
This places Borno among the beneficiaries of the monthly RHI Food Outreach Scheme, flagged off in March 2024 with support from two leading industrialists.
For a better society
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
