By: Fatmata Grace Okekearu, Bo City
In a heartfelt gesture to mark World Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Women in the Media South (WIMSAL South) donated essential hygiene products to visually impaired girls at the Paul School for the Blind and to children who accompany their parents while begging on the streets of Bo City, on May 28, 2025.
The donation package included sanitary pads, shaving sticks, bathing soap, and foam soap, all aimed at promoting personal hygiene and menstrual dignity among vulnerable girls, many of whom face daily challenges in accessing basic health supplies.
This year’s outreach builds on WIMSAL South’s ongoing commitment to menstrual hygiene advocacy and support for underserved communities. According to Josephine M. Kailie, Regional Coordinator of WIMSAL South, the initiative is entirely self-funded.
“We were here last year, and today, May 28th, 2025, we returned because these girls deserve care, dignity, and support,” Kailie stated. “This is not a donor-funded initiative. We pulled resources together ourselves, and a few of our male colleagues from SLAJ also stepped in to help.”
Also present at the event was Madam Fatmata Grace Okekearu, Vice Chairperson of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) South, who delivered an inspiring message to the girls. She described menstruation as a badge of honor and encouraged recipients to embrace their womanhood with pride.
“My menstruation, my pride; my menstruation, my womanhood; my menstruation, my dignity,“ she declared, echoing her slogan. “Use these sanitary pads wisely. Remember to change your pads at least three times a day to maintain good hygiene.”
The atmosphere at the Paul School for the Blind was one of gratitude and joy. The school’s head, Mr. Conteh, praised the ongoing commitment of Women in the Media South:
“This act of kindness means a lot to us,” he said. “We are touched by the love and consistency of WIMSAL South. May God bless them for this thoughtful intervention.”
Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed globally on May 28, serves as a platform to raise awareness about the challenges girls and women face during menstruation. WIMSAL South’s initiative is a powerful reminder of the need to break taboos, educate communities, and treat menstrual health as a basic human right.
Through compassion-driven interventions like this, Women in the Media South is helping to create a world where every girl can manage her menstruation safely, hygienically, and with dignity, regardless of her circumstances.