The Menstrual Hygiene Initiative being undertaken by First Lady Arya Ali to end period poverty in Guyana, was given a boost last Monday when CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited donated $10 million worth of sanitary pads.
The donation was delivered to the First Lady by Mr. Liu Xiaoxiang, President of CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL), who said that his company was pleased to support the First Lady’s excellent initiative, which contributes to the health and dignity of Guyana’s female population.
At the simple handover ceremony which was held at her office at State House, the First Lady thanked CPGL for its support which, she said, would help remove barriers to accessing basic sanitary products for girls.
The First Lady’s Menstrual Hygiene Initiative intends to end period poverty in Guyana, an issue which adversely affects women and girls, particularly in the hinterland, and restricts access to education. Under the programme, sanitary pads are distributed in secondary schools across all 10 administrative regions of the country.
The First Lady highlighted that the initiative started with a focus on school-aged girls, many of whom were unable to attend school when they had their menstruation, because they either could not afford it or had no access to sanitary products. In the long term, the project seeks to ensure that every woman and girl in Guyana is provided with free sanitary products.
In commending CPGL for its support, Mrs. Ali highlighted the importance of period poverty to be recognised and acted upon by stakeholders operating in Guyana. Mrs. Ali highlighted, too, that the initiative started with a focus on school-aged girls, many of whom were unable to attend school when they had their menstruation, because they either could not afford or access sanitary products.
“This donation will allow us to provide coverage to all school-aged girls, and then we will move to providing coverage to women, beginning with the most vulnerable, with the aim of expanding coverage countrywide,” she said.
Through the programme, sanitary pads are currently being distributed in secondary schools across all ten administrative regions. More than 32,000 secondary school-aged girls from all 10 administrative regions receive sanitary pads annually.
