Donates Sanitary Pads, Calls For End To Period Stigma

By Gabriel M C Parke

TUBMANBURG, Liberia-The program team of the Women Care Initiative (WOCI) held an engagement with students in Tubmanburg, as part of activities marking Menstrual Hygiene Week.

The engagement, was held on May 28, 2026 to observe Global Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrated annually on May 28 under the global theme “Together for a Period Friendly World.”

This year’s observance climaxes today, concluding a week of awareness activities aimed at promoting menstrual health and hygiene across Liberia and beyond.

Speaking during the celebration at the John L. Pavola School, Madam Maima Seh, an executive of the Women Care Initiative, said the outreach was WOCI’s way of commemorating the global day.

“This engagement is our organization’s way of celebrating Global Menstrual Hygiene Day by reaching out directly to the students who need support and information,” Madam Seh told Journalists.

She encouraged female students not to feel ashamed of their periods, describing menstruation as a natural process and a source of pride.

“Girls should not feel ashamed of their period. It is your pride and it sets you apart from your male counterparts. You must see it as normal and speak about it openly,” she said.

As part of the awareness program, WOCI presented over fifty packets of sanitary pads to several female students at the school.

The donation was aimed at helping girls manage their periods safely and to encourage them to remain in class during menstruation.

Several female students who received the items commended the organization for both the gesture and the awareness session.

“We thank WOCI for coming to talk to us and for giving us pads. It will help us stay in school when we are seeing our period,” Student Fatu Farmah disclosed.

The students also used the occasion to call on the Government of Liberia to make sanitary pads available on various school campuses for girls.

They urged the Ministries of Education and Gender, Children and Social Protection to ensure that sanitary materials are supplied to elementary schools across Bomi County and the rest of the country.