The Chairperson of the Stand Up For Women Society (SWS), Abia State Chapter, Dr. Helen Ihuoma Agharanya, has enjoined girls living with disabilities and the less privileged in society not to be discouraged by their current conditions in life but to have faith in God.
Dr. Agharanya stated this when the Association visited the Special Education Centre for the Deaf and Dumb and the Special Education Centre for the Blind in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, recently, in commemoration of this year’s International Girl Child Day Celebration, themed “Girl Child Vision for the Future.” She described these girls as special individuals created by God, adding that the Association aims to motivate and show them love.
To celebrate the girls, the organization carried out a pet project titled “Operation Pad a Girl Child,” which included a health talk on menstrual hygiene.
According to her, the Stand Up for Women Society advocates for the inclusiveness of women and promotes the rights and safety of women and the girl child in society. Dr. Agharanya stated that the era of women being marginalized and kept in the dark is over.
She encouraged the girls living with special needs to remain focused in order to achieve their God-given potentials. She further commended the caregivers and teachers of the centers visited for their love and support for the students with special needs, emphasizing that they are providing humanitarian services.
In their separate remarks, the Principal of the Special Education Centre for the Deaf and Dumb, Mrs. Adaku Kalu, represented by the Headmistress, Mrs. Uchechi Aguwa, and the Principal of the Special Education Centre for the Blind in Afaraukwu, Umuahia, Mr. Ekeleme Chibuzor, represented by the Vice Principal, Mrs. B.N. Onyeagoziri, respectively thanked the Association for identifying with the students with special needs and prayed for God’s blessings upon them.
While interacting with the newsmen, Dr. Agharanya highlighted the challenges the Association faces regarding mobility. According to her, the lack of an Association bus has limited their outreach to women in rural communities. She, therefore, appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to assist the organization in acquiring a bus so that the goals of the Association can be met.
The event featured the distribution of sanitary pads to the students with special needs, the cutting of a cake, and lectures on menstrual hygiene and health education by resource personnel.
