WACT donates new sewing machines to empower secondary school students

In recognition of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child and in demonstrating its commitment to its host communities, West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) has donated four new sewing machines to the students at Government Secondary School, Ogu, one of its host communities in Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, Rivers State.

WACT said the donation of the sewing machines is 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.

According to WACT Community Relations Manager, Justin Okwuofu, the Menstrual Justice Programme started in the fourth quarter of 2023 to keep our girls in school because many female students miss classes and sometimes examinations because they are menstruating.

This program is 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 Menstrual Justice Programme also addresses the first three thematic areas of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions, namely health, education, and training and development.

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.

He said, “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.”

Also speaking, 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.

Gogo Kalaiwo, Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Ogu, thanked WACT for its CSR commitment and generous donation of the sewing machines, describing the surprise gesture as ‘thoughtful’ and beyond their expectations.

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