By Fatmata Jengbe
It was the turn of Services Secondary School on Juba, West of Freetown when on Friday 1st November, Orange Sierra Leone donated one hundred menstrual hygiene packs to the school as part of their ongoing camping to introduce reproductive health services and education into the schools. The donation is consistent with the clarion call by President Bio to lure private sector support to his Free, Quality Education scheme in 2018. The company pledged a total USD 1.5 million material support to the scheme through five projects in menstrual hygiene packs for school girls, super coders, solar packs and building of laboratories and educational support to teachers.
Orange Sierra Leone Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Desmond Spaine headed the team and entreated all the school authorities to support the girls during their menstrual periods. He expressed concerned that they at Orange were aware that Girls are facing increasing challenges to stay in schools while they are undergoing their menstruation.
Abibatu Kamara of Girl Child Network Sierra Lone gave a short talk to the schools girls during the presentation of the reusable packs. In her talk, she encouraged them to open-up the discussions around menstrual hygiene to their teachers, parents and all other people who could support them during this period.
The issue of menstruation should no longer be a taboo and many girls have encountered problems as a result of the secrecy that has surrounded the process.
Authorities at Services Secondary School Juba lauded Orange Sierra Leone as usual for supporting the school and the girls by extension in menstrual hygiene packs and Education.They recounted that, they have been spending towards procuring disposable pads for girls who undergo their menstruation while in school. The climax of the ceremony was the handing over of the 100 menstrual hygiene packs to the schools authorities by Orange Sierra Leone.
