By: Strategic. Comm. Division
Office of the First lady
Her Excellency, Madam Fatima Bio has on Saturday 23 January 2021 continue the distribution of free sanitary pad to schools girls within Kenema City as part of a nationwide distribution process that will target 60,000 beneficiary.
The distribution exercise started with three schools in the eastern end of Sierra Leone and was witness by senior government officials including the members of Julius Maada Bio Women Wing and Fatima and Maada Bio foundation.
In her statement at the distribution event in all the three schools of Holy Rosary Senior Secondary School, Methodist Secondary School, Islamic Secondary School, Madam Fatima told the cheerful young girls that menstruation was not a crime and therefore, they should not be ashamed of it.
โMenstruation is not a choice, you need not to be ashamed because it is not a crimeโ Madam Fatima told the girls and called on them to focus on their education and say no to early marriage and teenage pregnancy.
She said the delivery of the free sanitary pad was in fulfillment of a promise she made to provide hygiene sanitary pad to school girls as part of the “๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐” Campaign to keep them in school during their menstruation period.
She noted that the free sanitary pads were safe to use and that it have been certified by UN to be used anywhere in the world. She further that the one pack contain 120 pieces of pads and could last for a whole year. She displaced the pads to girls and explained how it should be used properly; emphasizing that it should not be sold or spoiled.
The principal of the Holy Rosary Senior Secondary School Rev.Venita Shu, Magdalene Kamara said they are proud and honored to have the first lady in their midst, she said as a school they have been receiving a visit from the First Lady even when she was not at this position, and state that she has been making a promise which she always fulfills up to this date. Rev.Venita Shu, Magdalene said the first lady is a woman loved by many for her generosity and thank her on behalf of the entire school for making their school the first recipient of the Free Sanitary Pads
The CEO of Maada and Fatima Bio foundation Mrs. Samba in her statement said she stands as a proud woman to see this historic event, adding that the foundation has been existing for the last two and half years now, and they have been working towards developing girls, “๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐” campaign which is the flagship program of the first lady, and have also gone nationwide doing advocacy and creating awareness all in the name of the girl child.
Distribution of the sanitary pads to girls climax the event.