Menstrual hygiene is one very important component of the female gender and by extension the male gender. It is believed that roughly half of the female population around 26 per cent of the global population are of reproductive age. UNICEF reports that globally, 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation services.

With the increasing cost of living and the associated water and sanitation issues in Nigeria, it is getting more challenging for women – especially those in rural areas – to afford menstrual packs and maintain proper hygiene during their monthly (menstrual) flow.

In response to this situation in Nigeria, between July 14 to 16, the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association (NAOWA) in Abuja as part of their 3-day empowerment program trained over 100 women, mostly wives of men of the Nigeria Army to produce over 500 reusable pads. 

The second day of the event was a 4-hours practical session as participants were taught how to make reusable pads. The lead facilitator, Mrs Ifeoma Okonkwo, a trained Menstrual Hygiene educator started by enlightening participants on what reusable pads were and their importance. According to her, reusable pads are very important because they reduce the risk of urinary tract infections.

Menstrual poverty is a threat to the health of women and reusable pads are a great tool in tackling this. Mrs Okonkwo also stressed the importance of changing the pad frequently during a menstrual cycle. Emphasizing the uniqueness of the reusable pads, she explained that asides from being hygienic, reusable pads are very cost-efficient and can be easily stored for later use.

After the presentation, there was a demonstration of the processing involved in the production of the reusable pads. Thereafter, the women were grouped and following the guideline by designated volunteers, the participants produced reusable pads using flannel, cotton, cardboard and other materials. The participants expressed their joy after the session and made known their plans to teaching their colleagues through step-down training when they returned to their respective locations.

The training was sponsored by the Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association, facilitated by Media For Community Change (MFCC) and held at the NAOWA Event Centre in Abuja. The pads produced will be distributed to women and young girls for use in place of rags and other unsanitary options that are resorted to during monthly periods.

At the close of the event, Mr. Jimoh Oluwatobi Segun the Executive Director of Media For Community Change (MFCC) urged the women to consider the skills as a very important one and should commit themselves to empower other women.

Center for Social Justice held a two-day workshop on 20^th and 21^st of August for 50 Non-Governmental Organisations from the Federal Capital Territory, Adamawa and Sokoto States on the use of shadow reporting as it relates to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) issues.

Shadow reports are used by NGOs to present alternative information submitted by state parties to human right treaties.

The workshop also touched on Follow-up on Obligations in relation to Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms on SGBV, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Harmful Practices (HP) and the promotion of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).

It was done in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme/European Union (UNDP/EU) on the implementation of components of the Spotlight Initiative. 

Giving a welcome address, the Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere told participants that the Spotlight Initiative is focused on the eradication of Sexual and Gender-based violence and promotion of the Sexual and Reproductive Health rights of women and girls.

“It has an overall vision of a Nigeria where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices”, he said.

Eze also noted that the programme seeks to equip women rights advocates, civil society groups and the media with greater knowledge, capacity and tools on gender responsive programming and engagement of government to eliminate the aforementioned issues.

Participants were taught on the definition, purpose, method and when to write shadow reports. Strategies to maximize benefits from shadow reporting as well as follow-up issues were equally discussed.

Reacting to the developments from the workshop, Silverleen Aroh from Save the Child Initiative Nigeria, in an interview with Media For Community Change spoke on the importance of shadow report. 

For her, it allows CSOs and NGOSs collaborate and engage  in the activities of the government.

She said: “I was able to learn the need for CSOs involvement and synergy among CSOs to be able to come up with shadow reports that will support what the government is doing and push them to do more.”

Another participant, Emmanuel Ezechukwubem from Kiek Foundation stressed the need for awareness on several existing policies and laws. 

He called on CSOs and NGOs to help with such awareness to the public particularly the rural communities. 

He said: “Coming from Anambra state, if you go there and tell a woman that they have the right to own a land, they will disagree. We should go out there and create awareness. 

“We have to go for awareness creation to the communities to make people know about these laws that is the only way to get citizens to participate. If they do not have ideas about these laws, how will you make them participate?”

Lastly, Chioma Kanu from Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre lamented that Nigeria has several unimplemented policies and laws that could promote gender related issues citing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition, Child Rights Act among others. 

She equally pointed out that traditional practices still supersede these acts.

She said: “I learnt of so many policies and laws that promote gender related issues. We have this act of never implementing the laws that we have passed and then we also have our traditional laws clashing with the national and state laws.

“In practice, it appears as if we focus more on the traditional law which to me, I feel is not helpful, for instance we have the Child Rights Act at the National level which protects Nigerian children. Some states that even bothered to pass it ‘panel beat’ it to such extent that it lacks the true essence of the principal act. There is a whole lot of watering down issues based on our tradition and religion.”

She rather advised that the federal government put up some mechanisms to override state laws and insist on national laws to protect women and children.

“We have the Gender and Equal opportunities act which the government is yet to pay so much attention to and CSOs are wearing thin on what to do. We have also the VAPP act which has been assented to and some states have domesticated but we want to see implementation of the law.

“We also want to see National Orientation Agency taking a proactive step towards creating sensitization for people to know that these laws exist and they can utilize them to protect women and girls in Nigeria”, she added. 

By Demola Oriyomi Ademola

A volunteer is someone who contributes time, effort and talent to meet a need or further a mission, without going on the payroll.  Volunteering activities are of different types. It could be micro-volunteering, online volunteering, and skills-based volunteering.  People choose to volunteer for different reasons. For some, it is an opportunity to give back to society. For others, it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or develop existing experience and knowledge. Regardless of the motivation, what unites both is that it helps in self-development and societal development. 

 We all have busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. But one thing many people do not understand is that volunteering comes with enormous benefits. The right match can help to explore career options and aid professional development.

While it is true that the more time you volunteer, the more you stand to benefit, volunteering does not have to take your entire time to be beneficial, in fact, research has shown that just four or six hours a week can accord the most benefits. Volunteering should be fun, not another chore on your to-do list. Hence, volunteer-only the amount of time that feels comfortable for you. 

Volunteering is not just an opportunity to create a positive impact in your community, it also contributes a great deal in your job search and professional reputation as it helps boost your resume helps you to determine your career goal, and present you an opportunity to upgrade your chains of network. 

Do you need counselling on volunteering decisions? Here are the tips you need to understand before making your final decisions to be a volunteer.

• Understand why you are volunteering. 

This is the most important aspect of your journey as a volunteer. You definitely have to understand why you are volunteering for a particular crusade or mission. This will help you actualize your purpose of volunteering. 

• Don’t volunteer for money. 

In most cases, the fundamental essence of volunteering is to contribute your quota to the development of your society, that is, making the world we live in a better place for all. Always try as much as possible to make self-sufficient arrangement for yourself while volunteering. Feel less entitled to food, water e.t.c from the organization you’re volunteering for. This makes you a unique volunteer. 

• Be a unique volunteer. 

To be a unique volunteer, you have to be distinct in thinking by coming up with creative solutions to problems. Always ensure that your service as a volunteer is felt and positively impacts your society. 

Ensure that you are volunteering for a cause that is in line with your passion and interest so that you will not find the exercise boring. This is one of the common mistakes youth makes in the cause of volunteering. Volunteering should be fun and engaging not otherwise. 

• Utilize your skills. 

Whatever you are good at can be put to good use with nonprofit and local agencies. You stand a chance of being recommended to reputable organizations through utilizing whatsoever skills you have while volunteering. It is a fact that these days, most reputable jobs are gotten through recommendation. 

And finally, try several volunteering possibilities: sometimes, an opportunity looks good on paper, but the reality is totally different. Visit different organizations and understand what they do is in line with your goal and aspirations.