[PHOTOS] Queen Amb Ayoola Ronke Fakunle Launches ‘Pad the Girls’ Initiative In Kwara

Queen Ambassador Ayoola Ronke Fakunle has unveiled a menstrual hygiene intervention themed “Pad the Girls”.

The initiative is aimed at promoting sanitary education and supporting school attendance among adolescent girls in the seven LGs that make up Kwara South Senatorial District of Kwara State.

The initiative, which focuses on girls who have commenced their menstrual cycle, saw the distribution of 350 sanitary pads across seven secondary schools, with 50 pads allocated to each school.

She also sensitisatized the girls on menstrual hygiene management.

Speaking on the initiative, Fakunle described access to menstrual hygiene products as a basic dignity issue that should not be a barrier to education for any girl-child.

She said the programme was designed to address both awareness and access, particularly for girls from vulnerable backgrounds.

Fakunle said true leadership is measured by the number of lives positively impacted, adding that Pad the Girls represents another step towards building a more inclusive, compassionate and opportunity-driven society.

Fakunle, a Legislative Aide of over two and a half decades at the National Assembly, currently serves as the National Women Leader of the National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum (NASSLAF) and Director of Human Capital/Humanitarian at the Remi Tinubu Support Organization (RETSO).

Over the years, she has earned a reputation for consistent advocacy in women empowerment, youth development and humanitarian service.

Her commitment to education is evident in the establishment of Cap-leon International Academy, as well as two non-governmental organisations — WomenFest for Better Life Living Initiative and the New Generation of Productive Farmers Initiative — both of which focus on empowering women, children and youths through education, agriculture and capacity-building programmes.

Beyond the Pad the Girls project, Fakunle has sponsored WAEC registration fees for indigent students in selected schools across Kwara State and provided digital tablets to women within the legislative community to enhance their professional development.

She has also unveiled a 100-slot Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) scholarship scheme for indigent students in Offa, Kwara State ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Her humanitarian footprint also includes outreach programmes for prison inmates, empowerment initiatives for persons with disabilities, and sustained support for schools for the blind.

Her contributions to social development have attracted several recognitions, including an Award of Excellence by NASS News, her election as National Women Leader of NASSLAF in the 10th Assembly, and her coronation as the North-Central Queen of the Wazobia.

She is also credited with organising the first-ever National Assembly Children’s Day Celebration, an initiative that exposed pupils to civic education and the workings of the legislature.