Cameroon: Human Rights NGO distributes sanitary pads to women and girls in Buea
2 min read
Commemorated annually on 28 May as the he World Menstrual Day, in preparation for this year’s celebration under the theme, “Making menstruation a normal fact of life, by 2030”, the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), headed by Barrister Agbor Nkongho began its activities in a grand style. The NGO started its activities on 17 May with advocacy and sensitization and sharing of pads in some localities in Buea, the South West Region of Cameroon. As highlighted in their website, throughout this campaign, they will be visiting communities to raise awareness on menstrual hygiene in an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation, to distribute menstrual products and increase men and boys involvement in ending menstrual stigma. The organization also reported on their official website that the communities they will mostly target are communities hosting internally displaced persons.
On 17 May 2023, CHRDA said she visited the Tole locality, as the first community for sensitization and outreach for the international menstrual hygiene day, and plan to visit other communities in the days ahead. ‘The outreach started with a word of acknowledgement from CHRDA’s Executive Director Dr. Fokum Yigha Violet, and a welcome word from the community head, followed by self-introduction by CHRDA staff, explaining the purpose of the outreach and sensitization in the Tole community.‘ said on their website
According to CHRDA, women and girls in that community were able to acquire knowledge on proper menstrual hygiene management which are;
- Clean self, especially private parts and pants.
- Change pad after every four to Eight hours.
- Clean body at least three times in a day.
- Leave home with an extra pad
- Track menstrual circle to avoid embarrassments.
As recommendations, CHRDA said that, women and girls should adopt the prescribed hygiene management methods, especially concerning the management of menstrual waste. They also maintained that due to limited number of pads for distribution, CHRDA targeted young girls who are experiencing early stage menstruation. The organization also appeals for donation from the general public to support our outreach and sensitization campaign, by donating to provide pads for vulnerable girls and women.
Read on CHRDA official website HERE
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
