OMUTHIYA – The Oshikoto Regional Council chairperson, Samuel Shivute is urging the boy child to be supportive and understand the natural menstrual cycle for a girl child.
Shivute during a Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration at Iipundi Secondary School in Omuthiya on Tuesday said that in most cases a boy child embarrasses a girl child when she is on her period, which has caused them to be absent from school.
Shivute said that it is the responsibility of a boy child to make sure that a girl child is safe during classes.
Shivute also encouraged schools to educate the boy child and other children in order to kill the stigma associated with nature.
“We must ensure that provision is made to have access to sanitary pads at schools for free as menstruation is not a choice that one makes but rather a given undertaking by creation,” said Shivute.
Director of Education, Arts and Culture in Oshikoto, Aletta Eises pointed out that they have a total of 40 381 girls in schools in the region and they experience challenges when they are on their periods.
Eises further explained that some learners in the region use old clothing, toilet paper and socks to improvise when they are on their period.
“In some cases, the girl child from the marginalised communities uses grass to improvise when on her period,” said Eises.
She noted they should ensure that their girl children are in school but should without a doubt continue to do more by investing in various programmes to keep the girl child attending classes.
Dr Ndeyapo Nekongo donated 6 000 sanitary pads to Iipundi Senior Secondary School. She said it is everyone’s responsibility to buy and give a pad to a girl child.
Nekongo further said if a need comes around when the school needs more sanitary pads, they should not hesitate to call her office.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is celebrated worldwide to increase awareness of the stigma associated with the menstrual cycle.
The day aims to advocate and recognise the importance of menstruation in the lives of women, adolescents, and girls.
-Nampa