About 10,000 school girls from Ibarapa communities have participated in a two-day initiative educating girl children on safe sexual life and hygienic menstrual management propelled by the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dr Sharafadeen Alli.
The sensitisation exercise held on February 2 and 3 covered seven schools located in Tapa, Ayete, Igangan, Idere, Igboora, Eruwa and Lanlate towns in the Ibarapa zone of Oyo State.
The programme 'Flow With Dignity School Tour Season Three' was organised by the senator with Women for Greater Good Foundation, in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA) and FIDA partners, nationwide awareness drive.
The initiative recorded the participation of health professionals and women leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who provided counselling, shared experiences, and offered practical guidance on personal hygiene and adolescent reproductive health matters.
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Participants were advised against immoral practices, encouraged to embrace self-worth, and educated about the consequences of unsafe behaviour, as facilitators played motherly roles to nurture students' confidence and dignity.
Alli also distributed sanitary pads to female students, stressing the importance of clean menstrual management, improved school attendance and protection of young girls' health during their monthly cycle periods statewide.
The school tour spanned all three local governments in the Ibarapa zone, with visible representation from Ibarapa North, Ibarapa Central, and Ibarapa East areas within the Oyo South Senatorial district.
Schools visited included Adegun Asake Grammar School, Igangan; Tapa Community High School; Ayete Grammar School; Oke-Idere High School; Lajorun High School, Igboora; Baptist School, Eruwa; and Onitabo High School, Lanlate.
The programme aimed to empower adolescent girls with accurate information, practical skills, and the resources needed to manage menstruation confidently, promoting health, dignity, and uninterrupted education within school environments across Ibarapa.
Community leaders and parents praised the intervention, describing it as timely and impactful, while expressing optimism that the initiative would strengthen girl-child welfare, education and health outcomes in Ibarapa land.