The Muslimah Mentorship Network (MMN) has distributed free sanitary pads to girls in two schools in the Northern Region.

To mark Menstrual Hygiene Day, the network took its sanitary pad project to the Northern part of the country for the first time where it distributed sanitary pads and educated beneficiaries on menstrual hygiene.

About 300 girls in Ansuarideen Junior High school and Pong-Tamale Senior High school benefited from the project.

Miss Feruzah Wuniche Salisu, Project Coordinator of MMN urged the girls to stand out in their endeavours and take education seriously. She said while they strive to be steadfast in the Islamic faith, they must remember the essence of education and focus on attaining academic excellence.

On her part, Miss Samiha Sakibu addressed the students on the need to practice good hygiene at all times, especially during their menstrual period.

The Headteacher of Ansuarideen Junior High School, Abdallah Abdul Rahman who was delighted by the visit said the team's visit was timely since students were preparing to write their BECE. "I have realized how motivated and encouraged my girls are, after you've interacted with them," he said.

One of the beneficiaries at Ansuarideen Junior High School who had access to a sanitary pad for the first time said, “I finally get the opportunity to use a sanitary pad".

Unlike previous sessions, each girl received 6 sanitary pads compared to the #1girl12pads initiative where each girl was given twelve sanitary pads to last for a year.

At the Pong-Tamale Senior High school, Miss Bilques Zakaria Atampuri a representative of MMN encouraged the girls to be empowered and pursue their dreams.

Headmistress of the school, Madam Margret Gbandi and the staff of the school lauded the initiative and encouraged MMN to visit regularly since regular visits will have a positive impact on the girls.

In Pong-Tamale SHS, 250 girls received a sanitary pad each as against the #1girl12pads initiative because of the huge number of girls present and lack of funding to meet the huge demand for sanitary pads by less-privileged girls. The team promised to return once they had enough funding to cover a year's cycle.

Girls in both schools were taught how to calculate their menstrual cycle and encouraged to pursue their dreams and reach their fullest potential.