By Our Reporter
MTN Uganda has donated sanitary pads to women who are held up in mandatory COVID-19 isolation centers through the Ministry of Health as the country continues to fight the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
This donation closely follows the World Menstrual Hygiene Day that was observed on Thursday, May 28th across the world to challenge the social stigma associated with menstruation. This year, the day was marked under the theme ‘Periods in Pandemic’ to highlight how the challenges faced by women during menstruation have worsened during the pandemic.
Executed by MTN’s Corporate Social Responsibility arm, the MTN Foundation, this donation of sanitary pads is in response to a request from the ministry of health in a bid to provide for the sanitary needs of the women who are in mandatory isolation at the national COVID-19 quarantine centers.
Today, many women are held up in different quarantine and isolation centers around the country. The number keeps growing as more people suspected to have the virus are identified and consequently quarantined.
It is against this background that MTN Uganda donated 6,000 pads that will be distributed to 135 quarantine and isolation centers around the country by the Ministry of Health.
While handing over the sanitary pads at the Ministry of health in Kampala, Ms Rhona Arinaitwe, the Senior Manager Corporate Communications for MTN Uganda, said that MTN recognizes the World Menstrual Day and as such, found it gratifying that the Ministry recognized the menstrual hygiene needs of women in quarantine centers.
“Today, MTN reaches out to our daughters, sisters and mothers in 135 mandatory quarantine centers across the country. We are pleased and honored to respond to the very personal needs of these women through providing 6000 packets of high quality sanitary pads, of the Always brand, that any one of us here would be able to use. We believe that this will help our sisters go through the mandatory quarantine with one element of their life made easier and their dignity intact,” she said.
Dr. Diana Atwiine, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary thanked MTN for being a dependable stakeholder in Uganda’s fight against COVID-19.
“I thank MTN Uganda for responding to our plea regarding the sanitary needs of the women who are under mandatory quarantine. As we all know, sanitary materials are a big challenge especially in extraordinary situations like this pandemic. So MTN has done a noble thing by reaching out to them and we are very appreciative of their support towards this struggle,” Dr. Atwiine said.
As the ministry of health continues to spearhead the fight against the deadly Coronavirus, MTN Uganda remains committed to supporting and complementing its efforts.
