Managing Yourself in times like these...

It has been a while here. Yeah! Partly because I have been super busy with life goals. Career, family and more schooling for an extra degree. Yes! I went back to school to study for my PhD. I am glad to share that I am done and I can now breathe (😋😋). I will share a post or two on that journey. Phew! 

Now back to this post, as the leader of the women's group in my local church, I had this reflection to share with my group but I also think it is useful for the wider society as well. My first question is: how are you coping in these challenging times when the prices of goods and services are changing by the second and three-square-meal is now a challenge for many families? I saw a post somewhere this morning that the idea and practice of three square meals is a SCAM! 😂 God no go shame us.   

So this is me appreciating you for all your efforts in managing yourself, your homes and your children in these difficult times. The Lord will strengthen you. He will bless you with ideas to multiply your income as well as effective money management skills. As you run around to make ends meet, please do not neglect yourself and your health including mental health. Eat well at least what you can afford, and buy food in quantities you can afford. Bulk buying will also be helpful in the long run. 

Avoid as much as possible the wastage of food in your homes. You are not being crazy or dramatic to demand that. Reduce unnecessary expenses now. If you are on medications, please do not forget to take them. Water they say is LIFE. I am just learning how to drink lots of water. Babe can go to bed after a heavy meal without drinking water or would only take some sips. All that rubbish is changing now. The weather is dry and low water intake can impact our hydration levels. Eat fruits too. Importantly, rest when you have to and protect your mental health as much as possible. 

Note this: house chores are never-ending. They do not get finished completely. Learn to call for help when you need an extra hand. Lastly, read bible verses that are soul-lifting and hold on to God's words. The Almighty God that we serve will surely supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. Take care and stay blessed till next time. Note this: You are beautiful. You are amazing. You are bold. You are the world's best mum/dad. You got this.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dr Ruth E. Olofin💖💚

NB: The picture is sourced from Pngtree.

Rest to Live

I recently came back from leave and I am glowing. Yes, I know it and with compliments from colleagues and family, I just know it was a good decision I took to take a break. You see, Nigerians generally (middle and lower classes) do not like to go on leave or vacation like our counterparts in western climes. I think this is just inbuilt in us as a people to work from sun up to sun down, 365 days of the year if possible. Nigerians particularly are some of the most hard-working people I have seen. But does all hard work translate to smart results?

Taking a cue from our western friends, they generally would plan for their leave or vacation right from the beginning of the year. In fact, annual leave means vacation out of state/country to rest and explore other places on this sweet earth. Back home, what do we have? I even hear that some employers go to the extent of appealing to their  to take a leave. For me, I think those kind of organisations must be very juicy for you not to move an itch.

What is my point in all of this? REST! Rest is good for the body and mind. Sometimes you just have to consciously move away from your very busy, rollercoaster schedule and rejuvenate your soul and body. A few things I learnt on my recent leave that I will love to share with you and on reflection, I discovered I wouldn’t trade those feelings for anything else in this world.

1.     Super Family time: I have got such sweet and hyper toddlers, and nothing beats the feeling of preparing them for school, drop off and pickup. They are always super excited when they see the least expected person show up at the school gate for pick up-MUMMY! During the drive home, we are all chitty chatty, singing new nursery rhymes. Oh how i love this experience and the bonding it brings.

2.     Finding time for other interests: We all have different interests but never finding the right time to pursue them. Finding time to do that one thing you loved to do can be challenging especially if you have a demanding job. And for women, we are forever working. After your 9-5 job, you close and start/continue work at home as a mother, wife and home keeper. It can be tiring really. Your leave affords you that super time to pursue other interests. Mine are creative writing (blogging) and research for academic work. Having the time to sit without distraction and pour out my heart through writing is a big deal for me. Another is cooking, just thinking and surfing the internet for recipes makes me wanna try out things in my kitchen. What is that one thing you love to do?

3.     Having that Me-time: Have you ever sat/laid down just listening to Music like some soul-lifting music? The feeling is heavenly and rejuvenating. After dropping off the kids at school, showered (with some sweet-smelling bath and body products), my me-time starts generally with that session. This affords me time to meditate on myself, declutter my mind and think of the next big idea on improving things. I try to stay away from social media during this time. This means a lot to me.  

4.     To the Movies Oh Ruthie: There are days I sometimes fantasize about going to see a movie like on a Monday morning. Lolz! Who does that? Well, I pray we all get to that point when we become bosses and your money is working for you whether you are physically in the office or not. I was able to catch a movie in the morning on a weekday during my leave and that fantasy was achieved. Sitting in the cinema room watching a movie and laughing at a scene is what I haven’t done in a looooong time.

6. Health is Wealth: My leave time also made me try to work on a healthier lifestyle. So i got this amazing silicone water bottle and got some lemons. To kick-start my system for the day, i first take a big drink of lemon water first thing in the morning. For me to achieve this required a conscious effort to make it a daily routine. I could see the effects immediately as i noticed a slight reduction in my weight within a week of consumption. So for all those weight-loss buffs, i totally recommend lemon water.  Its simple. Cut the lemon into rings or diced, put in a bottle and pour in drinking water. A feel-good factor comes when this is chilled. Whatever works for you but having a leave period allows you stick with a health routine-at least for me.  Now, that i am back to work, am i still taking my L-Water? Yes!

5.     Bonding with friends and family: there is absolutely nothing that takes the place of family and friends in your life. Calling, chatting and visiting those you can, helped me in reconnecting with humanity. At the end, these are the people that matter to you. So, stick with them. Making out time to check on your peeps during work is fine.

Finally, we all need to live effectively and enjoy this God-given treasure we call LIFE. Is that why we say: ' LIFE NO GET DUPLICATE?' The only way that can be achieved effectively is stepping back to rest and rejuvenate yourself. When you come back to work, you look fresher, more productive and ready to take on the world. My next leave should go a step further by the grace of God. When is your next leave and how are you planning to use it? 

+Love💖

Ruthie

Making History with the Police Reform Bill by the 8th National Assembly

On the 5th of December, 2018, Nigerians from all walks of life trooped to the National Assembly to participate in the Public Hearing on the Police Bill that was organised by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs. A similar event which also held earlier in the same year (by the House of Representatives) presented a rich array of stakeholders who were interested in police reforms and discussed passionately the need for lasting reforms for the Nigeria Police Force. These events and the trajectory of the Police Bill dating back to more than a decade marked a historical watershed in the drive to position the Nigeria Police for effective mandate delivery. At the public hearing, promises were made by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs to ensure the speedy passage of the Bill before the end of the 8th Assembly.

The outcome of the 2019 general elections and the transition into a new assembly, fears are abound as to the possibility of this Bill of high public interests, going the way of earlier efforts and not reaching its logical end. It is now a matter of urgency in the interest of the public and for the Police institution for the Committees to fast track every legislative action (having passed the first and second readings) and to get the President’s assent to sign this Bill into law before the end of the 8^th Assembly. Distinguished members of the 8^th Assembly need to note that earlier legislative efforts on the Police Reform Bill have been slow to reach this stage; thus, getting to this point present a great opportunity (a low hanging fruit actually) for this assembly to make history in laying the foundation for a new Nigeria Police.

The public interest generated by the Bill is clearly linked to the changing landscape of security challenges in the 21^st century and the need to have a police institution that is adequately trained and equipped to address 21^st century policing challenges. Equally important is the fact that the Bill itself is fundamentally people-oriented. In the last couple of years till date, Nigeria is facing an increase in the scale and dynamics of threats to public safety. These recurring threats have overtime called to question the capacity of the police to effectively tackle these challenges in line with its primary functions (in the 1999 Constitution) as the principal state security actor responsible for internal security.

Further, there is an urgent need for the Police to redress its image with the Nigerian people; hence, the Police Bill has as one of its objectives to make the Nigeria Police people-friendly. Currently, the picture of the Police in the public is an institution that is allegedly seen as corrupt and lacks respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizens it is mandated to protect. The unprofessional conduct of some personnel of the Police has overtime contributed to this image and to make a section of the citizens’ resort to other means to solve policing challenges. Section 33 of the Bill for instance dwells extensively on profiling and for the Police not to arrest persons based on some characteristics are in view of the increasing spate of police brutality on citizens. It is also for the same reasons and in creating synergies with the community in solving security challenges that the Police Bill seeks to create community policing forums and boards in Section 60 to endear the Police to the people.

The Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police as we see it is still a Federal structure largely housed at the Force Headquarters. Thus, the Bill in Section 77 seeks to mandate the Inspector General of Police to establish police complaints response units in all state commands. This will support greater accountability for the conduct of police personnel at the local levels and also encourage citizens to play active role in the policing of their communities. Accordingly, the Bill seeks to re-activate the mandate of the Police Service Commission through external accountability of the Police. The primary functions of the PSC remain to discipline, promote and recruit personnel for the Police (other than the IGP) and this stands as one of the winning points of the Bill. The PSC therefore through this Bill when passed into law will regain its lost glory and will eliminate that common public perception of an oversight institution that merely rubberstamps decisions coming from the Nigeria Police.

As development practitioners, we indeed recognise that some gender reforms have indeed taken place institutionally; however, the legal framework operating the Police institution till date is replete in policy and practice gender discrimination in the Nigeria Police. This Bill seeks to eliminate all forms of institutional discrimination against female police personnel and potential female candidates into the Police. The Bill if passed into law will provoke lasting gender reforms across the police to effectively respond and address the security needs of the citizens-women, boys, girls and men alike.

Complementarity and alignment is key in reforming Nigeria’s criminal justice system for which the Police is a gateway. This Bill therefore aligns some of its key provisions with those of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015. Some recommendations in this regard at the public hearing also alluded to the need for prosecuting police personnel to be trained lawyers who understand the technicalities of the legal and criminal justice processes and the need to treat suspects with dignity.  

While the security of tenure for the IGP and the standardisation of appointment seem to be a controversial topic given the position of numerous speakers at the last public hearing, security for the office of the IGP is in the best interest of Nigerians. Current practices which includes appointment and dismissal of the IGP by the President alone does not portend well for Nigerians, for the Police itself and for sustainability of reforms in the Police. Policing at this point in our nation should be deliberate, well planned and strategic with each new IGP assuming office with a strategic plan and a strategic direction of the NPF within the tenure of his office. This strategic framework will also enhance a system that ensures all stakeholders key into the framework and play their role in improving the Police. Policing should therefore not be an ad-hoc arrangement. Security of tenure guarantees that the IGP will be solely focused on policing Nigeria and not be at the mercy of the President. Accordingly, the Bill when passed into law will seek to ensure laid down guidelines are followed in the event of a possible dismissal of the IGP.

Nigeria needs a new kind of policing in the 21st century. To that end, we cannot afford to continue using a policing system with a legal framework of over seventy (70) years (albeit piece meal reforms programs) for addressing modern policing challenges. Regular training and retraining of the Police in specialised programs and encouraging a culture of specialisation in policing will go a long way to reposition the Nigeria Police for effectiveness. It is also time for the relevant committees and the Police institution to revisit recommendations made by earlier Presidential Committees on Police Reforms and the CSO Panel led by the CLEEN Foundation to bring glory to the Nigeria Police and to the country. The Police Council as proposed by the Bill and in other recommendations by Committees on Police reforms, when operational, holds enormous promises for effectively responding promptly to policing challenges as they arise.

As a concerned Nigerian, my final message to this Assembly is that Nigerians are still hopeful that this bill will be passed and will get the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to sign it into law before the end of the current legislative year. Therefore, every legislative action and urgency should be accorded to all pending bills that will guarantee a safer Nigeria and a more responsive Police for its people. For development to thrive in moving Nigeria to greater heights economically, socially, culturally and otherwise, the Police institution must be effectively equipped to rise up to the challenges of modern day policing. Similarly, the current policing culture must be changed to a responsive and accountable police institution where citizens are treated with dignity and the Police operate within the principles of sound democratic policing. Our dear lawmakers, we are at the threshold of making history with the Police Reform Bill, please pass it into law before the end of this Assembly. 

Ruth E. Olofin

Abuja

ruthie.okugbeni@gmail.com/+2348052294141

2019 General Elections…Where are the Women?

^{Picture Source: The Guardian}

The International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day commemorated globally to bring visibility to the issues of women and the need to step up efforts at greater inclusion and equality across all key sectors of the society. It is also a day to reflect on current actions aimed at promoting a gender balanced world with a call to duty bearers to plug the loopholes and address the obstacles that have historically prevented many women from participating fully in governance and the elimination of gender based violence.

This year’s theme #BalanceforBetter of the IWD is strategic and it is coming at a time in the history of our nation when elections are ongoing which has seen Nigerians actively voting for candidates who will lead them for the next four years. In terms of gender disaggregated data, the statistics we have for the 2019 general elections showed that about 47% of the total number of registered voters are females while 53% are males respectively. With these numbers, the question begging for an answer is: where are the women who should be candidates and voters? In the 2019 presidential race, Nigeria started out having about six women running as presidential candidates of different political parties. Equally impressive at that time was the presentation of women as vice presidential candidates. However, for the Presidential, one by one, they all dropped out of the race leaving only the men to contest the elections as presidential candidates.

Further, at the National Assembly, the number of women in the current 8th Assembly that is gradually winding down is worrisome with the number of female legislators abysmally low and a far cry from their male counterparts. Currently, Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of female representation in parliament across Africa (UNWomen). At the global levels, the country ranks 181st out of 193 countries, according to the International Parliamentary Union. The Premium Times Newspapers also notes that at the National Assembly, women’s candidature is put at 12% of the total seats available, given that a total of 763 women are vying for seats for the Senate and House of Representatives out of 6,563 places available. We can almost be sure that the figures for women will steep lower when the results are announced…and the results are already speaking to a potential 9^th Assembly with lower figures for female legislators.

In mapping the candidates for the 2019 governorship elections, the Community Life Project (ReclaimNaija), a Non-governmental organisation puts the number of women that contested for governorship positions at 80 out of a total of 1067 candidates across states where elections were held. Are women not seeing themselves as candidates to steer the affairs of the nation, state etc? How is it that we keep getting skewed out of the game when it is almost certain we are clinching the ticket as potential female governor, NASS members etc?.

Numerous issues that affect women in the political landscape include but are not limited to the harassment of women candidates at party primaries (including violent party primaries), financial constraints, calls from party members to step down for male counterparts, intimidation, unfavorable intra-party politicking, sexism just to mention a few. However, the business case for gender parity remains valid. How can we achieve an equal representation of women in all spheres of the economy especially in the political space? Secondly, how can these hurdles be removed to enable more women come to the decision making table; thus paving way for greater women’s participation in governance?

At a one day dialogue to celebrate the International Women’s Day, CLEEN Foundation within its mandate on election security management, organized an Election Security  Dialogue with an all female panel of development practitioners and lawyers to discuss these issues. Representatives in the panel spoke extensively on the efforts made for the 2019 general elections aimed at improving women’s participation. Most of the discussion also focused on the support to young female candidates to build their leadership skills, run issue-based campaigns and tell their stories. From the panel discussion, it was also discovered that some of the young female aspirants ran on the platforms of new parties which for most of the time, do not have the financial influence like the big political parties. Finance and god-fatherism still have a strong hold on who emerges as the preferred flag bearer of political parties. In the 2015 and 2019 general elections, women played active roles as party supporters and well-wishers but were rewarded with wrappers, packs of food items etc thus deepening the tokenistic nature of our politics in this part of the globe. Yet, women’s places at the top echelons of governance remain conspicuously missing. Little wonder, our issues are still not prioritized since our interests and concerns are not adequately represented. It is one thing for men to dominate these tables and it is another thing for them to actually represent women's interests or take up issues relating to campaigning for more women counterparts while levelling the space for greater inclusion.

The panel also examined the various legal instruments,  gender equality policies and quota systems in place and agreed that despite the plethora of these frameworks, women still face the challenge of weak representation at the decision making table and in governance generally. We are witnessing a scenario where there are more laws and more impunity taking place. The increasingly violent nature of our electoral process following from the violence recorded in the 2019 general elections puts a big threat to women’s participation in future elections. However, it is still important to have these laws and frameworks as reference points and tools to continually demand for accountability for actions from duty bearers and from the ‘men’ who hold the power to change things, support opening up the space for women’s constructive engagement in the political process.

The conversation ended on the need for women to also get their priorities right and set strategies for pushing their political careers, self development etc. One thing is clear,  there is need for mentorship in politics and in politicking in Nigeria. Female leaders who have made it to the top of their political career and those within circles of influence need to mentor a critical mass of young female aspirants to step into their shoes. Going into 2023, we need to incentivize the political/electoral system to encourage greater women’s participation at all levels of governance and leadership. The security framework for elections should deliberately protect women to encourage their participation. #BalanceforBetter is about equal numbers across the Senate, House of Representatives, at the national and state levels. The journey to 2023 actually starts now and not one month to the general elections.

Ruth Olofin

Abuja

ruthie.okugbeni@gmail.com

Issues in this post were first discussed at the CLEEN Foundation’s Election Security Management Dialogue held on the 8th of March, 2019 at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

My Abuja-Kaduna Train Experience, Governance can actually Work

    

So I had a meeting in Kaduna for 10am on a Monday and I was faced with thoughts of how to get there. I weighed the different options available for me to reach Kaduna. Road trips along the Abuja-Kaduna highways have lost their appeal for me not with the high rate of kidnapping along the high way and an ever increasing media reports of these unfortunate incidents. The number of security officials deployed along the highway has not made it any safer for some of us. That is  a story for another day!

So, I took the train option, the first class train option in Nigeria! Am I dreaming? This is impressive. A quick check online on the Nigerian Railway Corporation’s website shows that I can’t book online yet the options are available. Hmmm, this is getting interesting. I could still see the available arrival and departure time schedule for the trains so I had options and a fair idea of when I should leave home. I left home same Monday at 5:40am and arrived at the train station a little after 6am. Paid N3,000 for a my ticket-first class ticket and I was shown the way to the waiting arena. The waiting arena is sparkling clean with a classy look than what we currently have at the airports. There are also notices on what is allowed onboard the coaches just the way you have it at the airports and the security checks of luggage was on point and computerized. What? This is good!

I could see Hajias and Alhajis who were probably returning after spending the weekend in Abuja or going for business. I could see some undergraduate students returning to school, I could see top ranking military officers perhaps going to some of the military institutions/formations in Kaduna state. White people were also not left out with their business suitcases striding the clean platforms of the train station. The station had everyday people going into and coming out of the coaches. This reminds me of one of my lecturers in The Netherlands who was working in The Hague and living in Brussels in Belgium. He commutes everyday to teach us in Den Haag and returns back to Brussels.

So I took the lift up (another sweet cozy place) and entered my coach and as a sharp Warri babe, I quickly found a seat to charge my devices! Wetin concern me with seat no? That was not until someone came and gently smiled at me and said “that is my seat- someone else also moved me from where I was sitting”. We both laughed. I am sure we can all relate as it applies to experiences with seat numbers on the planes. So I moved and located seat No 2 as indicated on my ticket; thankfully I had a good sitting partner. We shared our amazement at the whole arrangement and experience of this rail journey. We took pictures of the country sides, high rocks, green fertile fields with flourishing flora and fauna etc. Meeehn, Nigeria has some good landmass. This scenery is what you don’t get on a road trip. Everybody on board is behaving prim and proper; everyone talking about this experience. It is one of the best things to happen to the transport industry and to Nigerians. There are overhead DVDs that play movies as you move along the journey. There is even a Nurse onboard in case of any medical emergencies at least for first aid treatment. I hope it remains this way. I think the management deserves huge accolades for keeping it clean and efficient-both in Kaduna and Abuja.

One of the highpoints for me on this trip is the excellent timing just like you have it in western countries like the Euro star Trains etc. So a 7:00am departure train leaves at exactly that time. At the Rigasa Train Station in Kaduna upon arrival, I bought my return ticket for 2:00pm. I had to leave my meeting at 1pm to meet up with the 2pm train. In fact, talking about it makes me feel proud as in ‘I have a train to catch at 2pm’ We boarded a few minutes to 2pm and at exactly 2pm, we left the train station! Is this a dream? Can this be happening to us? Please Nigerian Railway Corporation when are we having Lagos to Abuja, Abuja to Port Harcourt, Kano-Ibadan, Aba-Ilorin coaches? What about cargo trains? This will certainly boost commerce and generate more revenue for the country.

So how can we situate this experience within the governance and development discourse in Nigeria? First, what this tells me is that we can actually make things work if we are determined to. Our leaders can actually make our lives better. Governance is not about politics and politicking the way some persons have seen it. Governance for me is about making lives better and easier for the citizens; citizens having access to the very basic infrastructures and social amenities. It was Amartya Sen who talked about Development as freedom. So, whether it was President Buhari or former President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime built this rail system, it does not matter for the average Nigerian. What is of paramount importance for us is the ease with which we can move between Abuja and Kaduna and conduct our business in a safe and timely manner and in an inviting conducive environment than the recent wrangling I saw in the media about who built the Abuja-Kaduna Rail System. For now, I am onboard taking coffee in an AC-chilled Coach!

Keep Girls In School: PERIOD!

Menstruation! Period! Menses! Red flag! Blood! Awww stop Ruthie! I know a lot of people will cringe at the thought and sound of these words. Hello! Can I talk to you? Because it’s about time we talk about those issues that are stigmatized in the society but that are critical life and developmental issues and should command a great deal of attention from the state, policy makers, activists etc.

Today the 28^th of May is the World Menstrual Hygiene Day- a day set aside to increase the awareness of menstrual hygiene management and to break the culture of silence and shame surrounding it. But first, what is menstruation? It is a natural process involving the discharge of blood for some days from the lining of the uterus of a woman/adolescent girl at a certain time of the month from puberty up to the time of menopause. Menstruation hardly occurs during pregnancies however there have been unusual cases where it does during the first trimester. Without menstruation, there is no life as its presence is associated with conception and womanhood. As important as this is, it is often stigmatized around certain parts of the world. Until recently, I avoided buying sanitary pads in shops around my house for the sole reason that the seller may either be counting my days or closely observing me anytime I pass by. Plan International USA (2015) shares some ways periods are stigmatized in some countries of the world:

·        In Nepal, Hindu women don’t cook or worship and stay away from their families—their touch is considered impure during menstruation.

·        In India, some women are restricted from daily activities such as taking a bath, changing clothes, cooking food, combing hair, and entering holy places.

·        Also in India, some in Gujjar communities believe that it is forbidden to look at your reflection during menstruation. Some Gujjar girls believe that they should not bathe and must stay away from flowing water.

·        In South Africa amongst the Zulu people, a menstruating woman is thought to be poisonous and may kill animals and crops if she comes near them.

·        In Tanzania, some believe if another sees a menstrual cloth, its owner will be cursed.

·        In Nigeria, misinformed adolescent girls regard it as bad blood

·        In Bangladesh, women bury their menstrual cloths so they won’t attract evil spirits.

·        Some western Ugandans believe menstruating women and girls are not allowed to drink cow’s milk.

·        In Sierra Leone, some believe used sanitary napkins can be used to make someone sterile.

·        In some areas of Zambia, restrictions include not cooking, not adding salt to food, and not eating food with added salt.

My concern in this article however is its implication for gendered school attendance for girls. The literature is sated with linkages between girls’ school attendance, menstruation and poor sanitary provision and facilities in schools (Ryley and Jewitt, 2014, McMahon et al 2011 and Tegegne and Sisay 2014).

As menstruation usually (not in all cases) starts with PMS-Pre-Menstrual Syndrome-a combination of emotions and symptoms experienced just before the start of the period and ranging from cramps, headaches, angry outbursts, irritability, skin problems etc (Procter and Gamble, 2015), girls on their periods face difficult times being in school. Little wonder, a research in Kenya indicated that some school girls viewed menstruation as ‘the most significant social stressor and barrier to schooling’ and prefer to manage their menses at home (McMahon et al 2011:2). What this means is that on an average of 25 school days in a month, an adolescent girl MAY only attend school for 20 days depending on her cycle; and miss out on school work and other extracurricular activities that can aid rich schooling experience.

The shame attached to menstruation is another key issue often overlooked in educational planning and management. Some policy makers and implementers are yet to come to the full realization that toilets or sanitary rooms are ‘gendered spaces’ (Jewitt and Ryley, 2014:139) and the socio-cultural myths tied to menstruation has further pushed girls from attending schools. Boys who sometimes stumble on a girl changing sanitary pads often due to lack of HER space, become the butt of jokes around school. Added to this are menstrual leakages experienced as a result of poor awareness of menstrual hygiene or the unfriendly nature of some class rules preventing girls from excusing themselves for a change. Did we add the fear of sitting next to a boy so you will not stain him or allow him see through you? For those who make it to school, their attention is severely divided; constantly checking for stains and looking suspiciously at anyone who stares at them for more than a second.

The provision of sanitary items and waste disposal facilities are rare features in most public schools in developing countries. Lack of waste disposal bins could oblige girls to take already soaked pads back home resulting to a preference to manage menses at home (Tegegne and Sisay 2014:2). The role of poverty in making girls use different unclean materials such as rags, leaves, newspapers etc in managing periods (and their attendant infections) is one that will lead us to an endless abyss of practical and academic expedition. Some of these practices and myths have been handed over across generations but their implications in modern times have broader adverse effects on a girl’s life.

As the world marks this day, several activities are lined up to call the attention of policy makers, teachers, parents, boys, men-the society to stop the stigmatization of menstruating adolescent girls but rather provide a friendly, enabling environment for the full realization of their potentials. Those in the business of producing sanitary pads should as a matter of fact give back to the society through regular donations to schools and stepping up current interventions at creating awareness for personal hygiene (hoping that teachers and other school administrators will not hoard these pads).  I will end this piece by reiterating that menstruation is a normal biological process from which flow the issues of life (Lol). Let’s drop the myths, the stigma and the mystery about periods because menstruating girls are normal and they ROCK still!

 

Excerpt from my article ‘Keep Girls in school; PERIOD!’

References

·        28^th May Menstrual Hygiene Day http://menstrualhygieneday.org/faq-4/menstrual-hygiene-day/

·        Jewitt, S and Ryley, H (2014) ‘It’s a girl thing: Menstruation, school attendance, spatial mobility and wider gender inequalities in Kenya’. School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

·        McMahon, S., Winch, P., Caruso, B., Obure, A., Ogutu, E., Ochari, I., Rheingans, R., (2011) ‘The girl with her period is the one to hang her head’. Reflections on menstrual management among schoolgirls in rural Kenya. Biomedical central 11, 1–10.

·        Procter and Gamble (2015) Always ‘PMS Symptoms’ http://www.always.com/en-us/life-stage/teens/pad/first-periods/symptoms-of-pms.aspx

·        Plan International USA(2015) ‘10 Ways Periods are Stigmatized around the world’  http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/3122398

·        Tegegne T.K and Sisay M. M (2014) ‘Menstrual hygiene management and school absenteeism among female adolescent students in Northeast Ethiopia’ BMC Public Health