UNCLEAN WATER, DEATHS OCCASIONED BY AIDS INCREASE PROBLEMS OF MENSTRUATING GIRLS IN BOKI

Just as we were carrying out the campaign for good menstrual Hygiene management in rural Boki in Cross River State, we stumbled into a huge challenge that left all of us very devastated. The people are usually hit by acute water shortage in the months of  March through June.

On this year's Menstruation Day, I led my usual Team Players, a group of women working with me as Grassroots Gender-Based Reporters, to my my Boki home, where I am still on My Empowerment Walk that is igniting community interest by the day.

Our mission was to take menstrual hygiene education to the doorsteps of people in the information-poor communities. We knew about the challenge of getting good water to drink, so we bought water from urban Ogoja, to the village. Little did we envisage what we saw and got the next morning. We slept in the community in my family compound because I couldn't afford money for hotel accommodation. I am lucky to have good sisters volunteering to WALK with me in this ongoing "Empowerment Walk: one woman, one girl at a time".

We all slept in my aged father's old ancient sitting room. It was fun mingling, socializing and mixing with the natives who shared jokes by way of entertainment. My age mates based in the village got a sense of belonging from my warm Volunteers. But my joy and excitement turned to shame and worry, when in the morning, water was arranged for us to bath. Brown and fearful water was presented to us to take a wash. Gosh! What is the matter? There are existing boreholes in the communities. There is even one positioned In front of our compound. Alias, all are non-functional and nothing is being done about it by the government. Nobody is standing on the way for my people. 

However, we managed as we could. We couldn't have a clean up. We only washed our mouths and faces with the bottles of water that he had.

In any case, we carried out the menstrual hygiene management education. Door to door, speaking with mothers and girls and also, traditional leaders and fathers who showed interest in our work.

Addressing the women and girls in their respective domains, Cecilia Ofum who is the State Head, Network of People Living With HIVE/AIDS In Nigeria (NEPWHAN), informed them that May 28, has been specifically chosen as World Menstrual Day to basically break the silence, raise awareness, change negative social norms related to Menstrual Hygiene Management.

She therefore, called on them to join in taking action as this year's theme spells out, in order to create a world in which every woman and girl is empowered to manage her  menstruation safely,  hygienically with confidence and dignity, without shame, where no woman or girl is limited by something as natural and normal as her period.

Earlier,  Miss Agnes Abang, Community Woman Leader, thanked the Group for singling out their community for this all important education and expressed the people's readiness to embrace the change which is being communicated to them.

On my part, as Coordinator and Initiator of the Group, I encouraged the women and girls to embrace good health habits and be committed to the cause of ensuring a better life for themselves and others.

I disclosed to them that Grassroots Gender-Based Reporters are working tirelessly to ensure that they get empowered to begin their self-help businesses.

"Already, arrangements have been concluded to bring in experts who would train you on mushroom cultivation and build your entrepreneurial skills, so all you need do is to show some level of commitments.

Notable among households visited were those of Hon. Sonny Eweh Abang, one-time Chairman of Boki local government Council and His Highness, Otu Francis Enyia, village head.

One striking discovery we made that almost made us stop our campaign was the nine-year old girl, named, "Enieh" who has been placed on anti-retroviral drugs since she was a baby. She is HIV POSITIVE. Her grandmother has taken to drinking because of the travails she is going through, after loosing two of her daughters to AIDS. The first daughter died, leaving her with an infant to cater for. This poor baby later died also. Sadly for this woman, her second daughter was also tested positive but lived on to have four children. Sadly, her boyfriend who fathered the children is inti drugs, making matters worst for both mother and grandmother. Today, she, also has died, leaving the aged woman with so much burden to bear. The late woman's first daughter has run away from the house, leaving the woman with children to cater for.

The other sad story is that the old woman's husband, a retired Soldier is now blind and invalid. He passes faeces and urine indoors. The grandson who is just about 12 goes through the travails of cleaning up and feeding the grandfather, running errands for his two grandparents and catering for his siblings when the grandmother gets drunk. Sad story.

We are so disturbed by this ugly discovery.  I imagine what Peter, the little boy turned head of the family goes through and particularly the increased harsh conditions occasioned by the lack of water in the community.

Can we discuss Menstrual Hygiene Management without having clean or portable water for the people to use? So our attention tilted back on Water.

How do we assist the people to get good water to drink and use  in many other ways?.

We need to assist this vulnerable family. Give them food, clothes, education materials, and continue to pay visits to them and offer them psycho social support that they need. We cannot do this alone. We need people to assist in whatever way they can. 

One of the ways to keep our work going is the sale of organic and nutritious foods that we produce. Proceeds go to assisting these people

We intend to use Multi purpose Cooperatives to train them on how to grow mushrooms and other nutritious rich foods that they can eat and also sale to make some little money as sustainable livelihoods.

Money realized would also go a long way to assisting in providing sanitary pads to the vulnerable girls.

Maybe, someday, we would also be able to sink a borehole in a Strategic location to ease the trouble these poor people are going through.

We would be most glad to have more people buy our products by way of supporting us. My dearest sister, Olutosin Oladosu Adebowale has demonstrated her enthusiasm to support our cause by buying our locust beans (DAWADAWA) and donating to our poor Widows to start their self-help businesses. 

we solicit for more support from kind hearted individuals and groups/organizations who can buy our products and maybe, use it themselves or donate to these vulnerable people. This way, our work would go on, with echoes heard from far and near. 

May God help us. Amen.