Not every lesson happens with a textbook. Recently, our Primary 6 and 7 students sat down together — boys and girls — for a workshop on puberty and menstrual health, run by the Exavier Lives Foundation.
It covered the things that often get talked around rather than talked about: what to expect as bodies change, personal hygiene, and for the girls, a proper look at periods — from the basics of what's happening to practical know-how, like the difference between reusable and disposable pads.
Each girl went home with six reusable pads of her own, plus a lesson in how to use and wash them. A small kit, but a useful one — no more missed school days over something so normal.
What impressed the workshop team most was how switched-on our students were, asking good, thoughtful questions rather than sitting in awkward silence. Anyone who's tried starting a conversation about periods with a room full of pre-teens/teens will know that's no small feat!
A big thank you to ELF for Education and Empowerment and AFRIpads for making this important workshop possible.
