Pad Right Initiative

Globally, 500 million girls and women lack adequate menstrual hygiene management (MHM) facilities, impacting their health and education. In Nigeria, this issue results in about 24% of girls missing school during menstruation.

Menstrual hygiene is an essential part of women’s health, yet many young girls and women still lack adequate access to sanitary products, especially in public secondary schools. The limited access to menstrual products not only affects female students’ health but also impacts their education, as they often miss school during menstruation. The United Nations Children’s Fund states that one in ten school-age African girls do not attend school during menstruation or drop out at puberty due to the absence of menstrual products.

Through the “Pad Right Initiative,” we aim to urge policymakers to take concrete steps toward improving accessibility to menstrual products in public schools. The lack of sanitary products shouldn’t hinder girls’ education. Furthermore, incorporating comprehensive menstrual hygiene education into the curriculum is crucial to reducing stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation. Access to clean water and safe, private toilet facilities within schools is also vital for girls to manage their periods with dignity.

The Pad Right Initiative aims to address this by reaching over 50,000 girls in northern Nigeria. This project, intended for replication through partnerships in other Nigerian states, seeks to enhance menstrual hygiene management, provide menstrual hygiene kits through sustained collaborations, and conduct workshops and training sessions in schools and communities. The anticipated outcomes include increased girls’ school attendance, improved menstrual hygiene practices, a reduction in the prevalence of taboos and myths surrounding menstruation, decreased instances of diseases and fatalities resulting from unhygienic menstruation, and alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.