Liberia: Cummings Foundation Distributes Reusable Menstrual Pads

The Cummings Africa Foundation (CAF) has distributed 280 reusable sanitary pads to students at the  More Than Me school to enable them to maintain good menstrual hygiene while in class.

The distribution of the items coincided with the school’s Christmas Day celebration. CAF officials informed the students that menstrual pads can be washed and reused over some time, which will help the students save resources. 

Presenting the items to the school, Theresa Cummings, CAF Co-founder, encouraged the students to see menstruation as a way of life and warned them not to be ashamed of themselves when experiencing their menstrual cycle.  

"On behalf of the Cummings Africa Foundation, we would like to donate these bags to our young ladies. We should not be ashamed of our bodies because this is Life, and this is how God made women. We have 280 packs for our young ladies," she said. 

According to her, the donation is geared towards limiting the burden these students encounter when seeing their menses.

She added that every woman goes through menstruation so they should be educated on how to manage their menses. 

Receiving the donation, Sylvestine Payne-Gbessagee, Acting Executive Director of More Than Me, lauded the foundation’s effort and pleaded for more financial support to enable the girls to continue their education at the tertiary level. 

"We have 280 plus girls, 64 students on scholarship. This year we have 12 students graduating from grade 12. Our program does not extend to college so we don’t know what will happen to our graduates that graduate from 12 grade. We are [fishing around] to make sure they continue their education and do what they need to do for Liberia," she said.

"So please take the message back to Mr. Cummings," madam Payne-Gbessagee continued, "that we have girls who plan to come and change Liberia and we will readily appreciate any support that can be given to them. We offer two meals a day. Nobody pays a dime to come here to school. We provide uniforms, copybooks, pencils." 

More Than Me is a tuition-free school for girls at risk of sexual exploitation in West-point with a mission of getting girls off the street.

And CAF is a nonprofit organization established in 2015 to contribute to the betterment of communities. The Foundation believes and works from the position that every person in every community, given the right opportunities for better health, for better education, better standard of living, and the ability to earn meaningful income; can reach their full potential.