๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐.Welcoming Her Excellency and her entourage to the Koidu Girls Secondary school, where other girls schools had converged to receive their Free Sanitary Pads, Sister Emmanuella appreciated the First Lady for solving the needs of the girls with the primary aim of keeping them in school.
Pupils from the respective schools had a brain teasing conversation with the Chief of Staff at the Office of the First Lady, Shiek Salim Fieka, where they outlined the importance of the HOOG, real-time advice to their colleagues and their best learning technique to stay away from boys, which left entourage of the First Lady quite impressed.
Mrs Saque admonished girls present on the necessity of staying in school and taking advantage of the Hands Off Our Girls campaign, as she confirmed her experience of missing out in school on the second day of menstruation, due to fear of getting her uniform soiled during the process.
CEO of the Maada and Fatima Bio Foundation, Mrs Samba in her statement said, she stands as a proud woman to witness such historic event, adding that the foundation has been working on the empowerment of girls for years and continue to reach out to more girls in Sierra Leone through the ”๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐” campaign.
First Lady made a clear demonstration of what is in the sanitary pack and how it is used, while she outlined its importance and the writings inscribed on the pads.
She pleaded that everyone in the district be united against rape and report it to the police when it happens to them or girls they know or heard off. The fight against rape is a collective one, it cannot be dealt with in isolation by just the government or social welfare, everyone must be involved.
The First Lady mentioned, that menstruation is natural perquisite for every teenage girl, โMenstruation is not a choice, so girls do not need to be ashamed of it because it is not a crime,โ Madam Fatima told the girls.
She admonished them to focus on their education and say ‘No’ to Early Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy. She emphasized that sex is inevitable but it is safer to have sex at the right time, while urging the girls that sex should not be their priority while in school, but rather girls should focus on their education, as with the education they are assured a promising future.
Pupils from the various schools in Kono made a pledge to use the sanitary pads as an hygienic way of taking care of themselves during their menstruation, as against the usual clothes they are used to using.
Entertainers performed theme songs they had recorded in support of the Hands Off Our Girls campaign.
Strategic Communication Division
Office of The First Lady
info@officeofthefirstlady.gov.sl
+232 303 68273
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ก๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ขN ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ