Menstrual Pads/tampons are a Need and not a Want for Girls and Women!!!

Ever since the first lady announced her move to support girls with menstrual Pads in schools, we have seen a barrage of complains and misinformation on the matter. Some unpatriotic individuals have  even gone to the extreme to download and circulate pictures of some unfortunate circumstances that happened somewhere outside Sierra Leone missinforming people to say the health complications are the result of the menstrual Pads the government would be distributing. Their actions are tantamount to betrayal of the state, and especially for girls and women whose very existence depends on how much knowledge they have and care they give to menstrual hygiene.
What is wrong in giving free sanitary pads to girls? There are times Sierra Leoneans' actions amuse me a lot. We can mix politics in everything. We hardly know what we want from our leaders. When it comes to free condom distribution, the complains are few. But ever since it came to menstrual pad distribution, people have been complaining. But sex is a choice (so condoms should be sold). Menstruation is not a choice (menstrual pads are to be given free to girls). Women experiencing menstruation or menarche are undergoing a lot of pains or mental pressure. They can skip school or be restricted into certain religious and social gathering because of menstruation. Certain girls who cannot afford enough to buy pads would have to use a single pad for the rest of the day or use some unsafe material for leakage control where they catch infections that will cost them a lot of money to treat. In some cases, these infections have cost some women their womb. It puts them in difficult position to bear children safely. Why are we so so blind to understand that girls need these things. How many of our parents or relatives would care to give extra money to our sisters to buy menstrual pads every month?
We should not be blinded to politics to the extent of not understanding our needs. Menstrual pads for girls is a need not a want.
Similar lies were created about the free soaps the previous government were distributing to households during the Ebola period to promote hand wash and personal hygiene. I can still recall how my neighbors refused to accept the soaps saying they are the carriers of the virus. I requested the person distributing them to give it to me and I will convince them later to accept them. I did try but most of them refused. At the end, I benefited a lot from the loaf of soaps. I could go for months without buying soaps. Their ignorance and naive behavior cost them their money. I used the soap and I am still alive and kicking. It saved me few bucks, too. We should learn to think. Let's be critical of posts we read or listen to on social media. We have a lot of unpatriotic individuals bent on only sabotaging good things for their selfish political gains. They would politicize everything.

©Amadu Wurie Jalloh
®The Emmanuel Ivorgba Foundation
® Students Analysts and Writers Network