West Africa Container Terminal has donated four sewing machines to the students of Government Secondary School, Ogu, one of its host communities in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The terminal operator in a statement on Wednesday said the move was in recognition of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child and in demonstrating its commitment to its host communities.
It added that the donation of the sewing machines aims to further equip the students who have been trained in the art of producing eco-friendly reusable sanitary pads, which is a part of the company’s Menstrual Justice Program.
The Community Relations Manager at WACT, Justin Okwuofu, explained that the Menstrual Justice Programme started in the fourth quarter of 2023 to keep young girls in school adding that many female students miss classes and sometimes examinations because they are menstruating.
According to Okwuofu, the programme was designed to address period poverty, a problem identified during the company’s community needs assessment, where it was reported that girls resort to trading sex for sanitary products.
“It is also to contribute to environmental protection by promoting the use of eco-friendly sanitary pads. The program also addresses the first three thematic areas of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility interventions namely health, education, and training and development,” he said.
Okwuofu highlighted the company’s effort in ensuring the sustainability of the reusable sanitary pad training and stated that the students were provided extra materials which included four new sewing machines, to produce more sanitary pads.
“WACT does not just sponsor training; we are a company big on sustainability, and that is the reason we decided to support the students with these sewing machines to further encourage them to produce more sanitary pads for themselves, their family members, and even for commercial purposes,” Okwuofu averred.
Earlier, the WACT Employee Relations Specialist, Nengi Somiari, said that by celebrating and making a positive impact on the girl child in the host communities and beyond, WACT is providing support to the identified challenges while also creating awareness of the capabilities that lie within every girl child.
The Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Ogu, Gogo Kalaiwo thanked WACT for its CSR commitment and generous donation of the sewing machines, describing the surprise gesture as ‘thoughtful’ and beyond their expectations.
