Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
About five hundred girls and women of child bearing age, Friday, received training on menstrual hygiene in Anambra State.
The training was in commemoration of this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day. It was organized by the Keystone Bank Limited in Partnership with Whispering Hope Africa Initiative, WHAI Africa.
The event held at the Civic Center, Ama Umueri, Anambra East and was attended by female students, youths and women of child bearing age and other members of the community.
The participants were trained on menstrual Hygiene, dangers of pre marital sex, school drop out and early marriage and other vices that can mar their future.
Declaring the training open, the traditional ruler of Umueri, Igwe Benneth Emeka, thanked Keystone Bank and WHAI Africa for choosing Umueri as the host community for the Initiative, saying that the training will go a long way in shaping and educating the girls and women to know how best to manage menstrual period and hygiene as well as live a good life.
Igwe Emeka who said that choosing Umueri for the year’s celebration is a welcome development and a blessing to the community, promised to reciprocate the gesture and advised participants to practice what they learnt and train others.
In their separate speeches, the manager, Keystone Bank Limited Awka branch, Mrs Uju Ezenwune, and the Executive Director, WHAI Africa, Nkechi Udegboka, explained that the essence of the celebration was to create awareness and to teach young girls how to take care of themselves hygienically especially during menstruation.
They said that through their programmes, they discover talents in young girls and help them realize their aspirations ,especially in the rural areas.
In his remarks, the President General, Umueri General Assembly, Chief Jonny Metchie, restated the importance of capacity building to fish talents to train and empower them to become somebody in life, noting that Umueri has many lined up empowerment programmes for the youths of the community this year that will help youths in life.
The celebration tagged “Let’s Talk Period” featured distribution of dignity kits to the participants and talks among other things.