Key points
- African Immigrants Resources Center urges Imo women to promote family values and raise children with good morals.
- GAGAP convener calls for equal treatment of children and daughters-in-law and better attention to girls’ hygiene.
- NGO distributes 250 free sanitary pads to more than 120 women at Okwu Emeke community meeting.
Main story
A United States-based non-governmental organisation, the African Immigrants Resources Center, has urged women in Imo to strengthen family values and pay greater attention to how children are raised.
The organisation made the call through its Give A Girl A Pad (GAGAP) initiative at the 2026 annual August meeting of the Okwu Emeke community in Emekuku, Owerri, on Friday.
The convener of GAGAP, Mrs Chimezie Oji-Kalu, represented by the initiative’s Imo Coordinator, Mrs Winifred Ijeaku, said parents played an important role in shaping the behaviour and values of their children.
She urged mothers to recognise that children often learnt from the conduct they observed at home and should therefore model the values they expected their children to adopt.
Oji-Kalu also raised concern about the practice of favouring grown children according to their financial contributions to the family.
She noted that financial support was not the only way children could contribute, as some might provide valuable assistance through their time and physical presence.
She consequently encouraged women to treat their children and daughters-in-law with equal affection, noting that the younger generation would eventually assume responsibilities in their own homes.
The GAGAP convener also called on mothers to make personal hygiene an important part of raising their daughters.
She said teaching girls good hygiene practices from an early age would support their dignity, self-esteem and wellbeing and help prepare them for responsible adulthood.
Oji-Kalu particularly stressed the importance of providing girls with quality sanitary pads to help prevent infections and safeguard their health.
She said menstrual hygiene remained a key focus of the GAGAP initiative, which would continue to take awareness messages to communities.
The President-General of the Okwu-Emeke Women Association, Mrs Stella Chukwueke, commended the organisation for its intervention and the lessons shared with the women.
Chukwueke urged governments at all levels to support initiatives aimed at improving the wellbeing of women and girls.
As part of the intervention, the organisation distributed 250 free sanitary pads to more than 120 women who attended the community meeting.
The issues
The concerns raised at the meeting centred on the role of mothers in shaping family values, the need for parents to avoid favouring children based on financial contributions and the importance of teaching girls proper personal hygiene.
The discussion also highlighted the need for families and government to support the wellbeing of women and girls through better guidance and access to menstrual hygiene products.
What’s being said
“As women, we must recognise our role as home makers and desist from idle talk. When we do what is bad, our children see us and we may not know, but they eventually imitate the things we see us do.” — Chimezie Oji-Kalu, Convener, GAGAP
“As mothers, we must carefully observe and guide our children, especially our daughters because the cost of improper hygiene can last a lifetime.” — Chimezie Oji-Kalu, Convener, GAGAP
“We must insist on good sanitary pads to ensure that we avert possible infection and secure the future of the girl child who will take over from us as mothers.” — Chimezie Oji-Kalu, Convener, GAGAP
“This is a major interest area for GAGAP and we will not relent in taking this message to the nooks and crannies of our communities.” — Chimezie Oji-Kalu, Convener, GAGAP
What’s next
The African Immigrants Resources Center, through its GAGAP initiative, said it would continue taking its message on girls’ hygiene and wellbeing to communities.
Chukwueke also called for government support for the initiative to enhance the wellbeing of women and society.
Bottom line
The meeting combined advocacy on family values and responsible parenting with practical support for women and girls through the distribution of 250 sanitary pads.
