By: Nyima Sillah
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with partners has inaugurated a reusable menstrual pad products centre in Upper River Region for a better livelihood of adolescent girls.
The centre that aimed to create economic livelihood for women, promote the use of climate-friendly products and reduce dependency on natural resources through income diversification and climate friendly solutions was funded by the United Nations Secretary General’s Peace building.
Speaking at the ceremony, First Lady Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow said: “the initiative is one of a kind, as this is the first ever reusable pad production center established in the history of The Gambia by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare together with Network Against Gender Based Violence with support from UNFPA, The Gambia.”
“The center is well equipped to produce reusable menstrual pad that will not only serve the people of Basse but all other areas across the country. As we may know, menstrual health hygiene management (MHHM) is one among several challenges that adolescent girls face thus limiting them from achieving equitable educational opportunities. In low- and middle-income countries, practicing good menstrual hygiene is a difficult task for women and girls due to various reasons,” she added.
“Misinformation thrives because menstruation is considered as a taboo, a subject that is rarely discussed. In addition to this, women and girls lack access to appropriate infrastructure. Commercial menstrual management supplies are either not available or unaffordable,” she continued.
She thanked UNFPA The Gambia for coming up with this initiative to support Gambian women and girls and also working closely with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare to ensure this process is operational.
Kunle Adeniyi the UNFPA Country Representative, also said the centre will provide women opportunity to empower them economically through the production of reusable menstrual pads for adolescent girls and ensure access to information.
“The production of the reusable sanitary pads will not only create economic livelihood for the selected women but it will also equip them with life changing skills,” he said
The reusable menstrual pad centre will be a site for the provision of sexual and reproductive health information and services especially non-prescription methods of family planning, he said.
