In a bid to promote healthy living among adolescents and adults, a 2019/2020 ‘Batch A’ corps member in Yobe State, Olufunke Afesojaye, has distributed free sanitary pads to over 800 female students in two secondary schools in Yobe State.
Afesojaye also built two public toilets as her Community Development Service (CDS) project for the Damaturu community in the state capital and embarked on an aggressive sensitisation of students on menstrual hygiene.
The Yobe State Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mrs Grace Adzer, while inaugurating the project in Damaturu recently, commended the corps member for her dedication to service and donation to the community.
Adzer told newsmen that: “While many corps members attempt to run away from the state after the orientation camp for security reasons, Olufunke, who had lived in the Southern part of the country decided to stay behind.
“Olufunke was posted to the Emirate Council as an English graduate to help out in training the young ones in the palace. We all are now witnesses to the great project she initiated in the community.”
“For us in the NYSC, the community development service is very important. She has done so well by carrying out these wonderful projects.”
Emir of Damaturu, Dr. Shehu Hashimi II Ibn Umar El-Kanemi, who was represented at the event by the Waziri of Damaturu, Alhaji Maisanda Lawan, said the entire emirate is pleased to see a corps member embark on such huge projects in the community.
“It is our wish that subsequent corps members posted to the Council emulate such a great move taken by Olufunke,” he said.
Olufunke, who hails from Ondo State and a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), said the project was part of her personal community development service.
The English graduate said it is her little way of helping the community take a step forward in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), on clean water and sanitation, which requires access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and an end to open defecation, with special attention paid to the needs of women and girls, and those in vulnerable situations.
“I am passionate about the health of children and adolescents, especially girls. This motivated me to carry out the menstrual hygiene awareness project. After that, I distributed free menstrual pads to over 800 students in two secondary schools,” she said.
“I am also enthusiastic about developmental issues. As you all know, this state has suffered greatly from insecurity and insurgency problems.
“There is a need for development, and I believe that building these public toilets will help improve the wellbeing of the people in this community and reduce open defecation.”
Olufunke advised youths and corps members to be patriotic towards Nigeria and contribute to the development of the country wherever they find themselves. She also admonished politicians to pay critical attention to development problems in Nigeria, especially in rural areas.