Period Poverty: A Silent Barrier to A Girl’s Dignity

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By Nnamdi Anosike and Isibhakhomen Y. Ikhimiukor

“Millions of girls skip school every month simply because they lack access to pads or toilets. This is not just a hygiene issue, it’s a human rights issue.” — UNFPA, 2022.

Period poverty refers to the struggle many girls and women face in affording or accessing menstrual products and proper sanitation during their periods. It encompasses more than just lacking pads; it includes the absence of clean water, safe toilets, privacy, and the knowledge needed to manage menstruation with dignity. Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) or Menstrual Health and Dignity (MHD) describes a comprehensive approach to menstruation: access to safe and hygienic products, menstrual education, adequate water and sanitation facilities, and social acceptance that enables menstruators to live with dignity and health. Despite being a natural biological process, menstruation is still surrounded by silence and shame in many communities, and this silence perpetuates inequity.

Why Period Poverty Matters

Period poverty is a pressing issue that affects multiple aspects of life. Many girls and women use unsafe alternatives like old rags, leaves, or newspapers, increasing the risk of infections and discomfort due to the unaffordability of pads or tampons. In many cultures, menstruation is treated as dirty or shameful. Girls often begin their periods without understanding what is happening, and boys are left in ignorance, which sustains myths and discrimination. Schools, workplaces, and public spaces often lack private, clean toilets with water and soap. Without a place to safely change or clean themselves, menstruators are forced to miss school or work. Girls may miss several days of school every month due to their periods, leading to academic underperformance and higher dropout rates. Adults may face lower productivity and reduced income potential. The psychological toll of shame, fear, and isolation is equally damaging.

Menstrual Health and Dignity: A Broader Frame

Tackling period poverty requires going beyond the distribution of products. Menstrual Health and Dignity (MHD) takes a broader and more humane approach. Girls, boys, parents, and teachers need accurate information to break myths and build a supportive environment. Toilets with water, disposal options, and privacy should be the standard, not a luxury. Menstruating individuals should be treated with empathy, not stigma, with cultural attitudes evolving to support their inclusion. The government is also not left out. They must seek to integrate MHD into education, public health, and WASH policies, ensuring consistent funding and accountability. The core of MHD emphasises dignity, equity, and choice, because menstruation should never limit anyone’s potential.

What is Being Done

Several programmes and initiatives around the world are addressing period poverty. This includes government policies in countries like Kenya and Scotland, which have led the way by providing free sanitary pads in schools and removing taxes on menstrual products. In Nigeria, some state-level initiatives support pad distribution and menstrual hygiene education in schools. Youth groups and women’s associations are organising awareness drives, breaking cultural taboos, and advocating for local government action.

Society for Family Health (SFH) Nigeria, through its various interventions, has been actively promoting proper Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) by raising awareness, debunking myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation, and distributing free menstrual hygiene products. In commemoration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025, held globally on May 28th, SFH conducted a series of activities across multiple states, aimed at addressing period poverty and promoting menstrual dignity for adolescent girls. In Taraba State, the SFH Individual Giving Initiative, with support from UNESCO and other well-meaning individuals, marked the day in collaboration with the Taraba State Ministry of Education. Female students at the Government School for Arabic and Higher Islamic Studies, Jalingo, and the Special School for the Deaf, Mutum Biyu, were the beneficiaries of this outreach. A total of 891 sanitary pads were distributed in Jalingo and 121 in Mutum Biyu, along with psychosocial support and menstrual hygiene education. The intervention specifically targeted vulnerable girls, including those with disabilities, to ensure inclusive support and participation in menstrual health discussions.

In Nasarawa State, SFH WASH for Healthy Lives (W4HL) commemorated the day with an outreach at Government Secondary School Sabon-Gari, Keffi, winner of a recent inter-school quiz competition. The activity aimed to raise awareness on menstrual hygiene management (MHM), highlighting its critical role in girls’ health, education, and overall well-being. With the theme “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld,” the event encouraged students to challenge menstrual taboos and adopt safe practices. Similarly, in Edo State, SFH collaborated with the Office of the First Lady to sensitise and distribute sanitary products to 100 female students at Imaguero Secondary School. The First Lady, represented by the wife of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barrister Nimata Umar Akhilor noted that menstrual health is a matter of public health, human rights, and gender equality.

The Adolescent 360 (A360) MAYE initiative also held menstrual health interventions across Jigawa, Nasarawa, and Kano States. In Jigawa, 50 young mentors were trained in menstrual health and the production of reusable sanitary pads. Collaborating with the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and SPHCDA, this effort provided girls with sustainable, income-generating skills to manage their menstrual health. In Nasarawa State, sensitisation sessions in Nasarawa Eggon, Lafia, and Doma LGAs reached 150 out-of-school adolescent girls, focusing on menstrual hygiene, physiology, and safe product disposal. In Kano State, a multi-sectoral outreach held at GGASS Gwammaja, Dala LGA, engaged over 500 girls through menstrual hygiene talks, SRH education, HPV vaccinations, and the distribution of dignity kits. The event demonstrated a united approach to advancing gender equity and challenging harmful norms.

In Gombe State, the SFH IPAYP Team conducted sensitisation sessions across Akko, Gombe, Bajoga, and Funakaye LGAs. The sessions targeted secondary school students with key messages on menstrual hygiene, health, and the HIV Minimum Prevention Package (MPP). Through interactive discussions, practical demonstrations, and free sanitary pad distribution, the initiative sought to reduce stigma, improve school attendance, and build confidence, empowering girls with critical knowledge and support. Across all locations, school principals and community stakeholders expressed heartfelt appreciation for SFH thoughtful efforts. These activities not only met the immediate needs of adolescent girls but also supported long-term goals of reducing school absenteeism and promoting inclusive education. Through collaboration with government stakeholders and other partners, these activities have been able to improve WASH facilities in schools, empower adolescent girls with the knowledge, tools, and dignity they need to manage their periods safely, confidently, and with pride, thereby creating a more supportive environment for them. These actions support not only hygiene but also self-worth, dignity, and equal opportunity for menstruating individuals.

Gaps and Challenges

Despite progress, some challenges still persist. In many places, menstruating girls are considered “impure” and are excluded from school, religious activities, or even cooking. Also, many families cannot afford sanitary pads, and local markets may not stock affordable alternatives, especially in rural or conflict-affected areas. Data on menstrual health needs, particularly among girls with disabilities, transgender individuals, or those living in displacement, is scarce, making it difficult to design inclusive policies. Girls with disabilities, street children, refugees, and internally displaced persons often face additional barriers to menstrual health access and education.

Dignity in Every Smile – By Mmesomachi Oji

With broad smiles and happy faces, pads are lifted high in gratitude at the courtyard of a school in rural northern
Nigeria. These purple packs of sanitary pads reflect essentials that girls in this part of the world have done without in times past. The Education for Health and Well-being Program implemented by SFH has become an effective catalyst for comprehensive menstrual health education designed for rural women and adolescent girls. The sessions demystified menstrual myths while delivering age-appropriate and culturally sensitive information which ensures that these young ones take charge of their futures and their bodies.

However, knowledge alone is not enough. For Information without access still equals exclusion. Hence, the Education for Health and Well-being Programme addressed period poverty by distributing essential sanitary products to ensure one less school day is missed, one less reason to feel ashamed, and one more reason to dream boldly. At Society for Family Health, we demonstrate our corporate social responsibility by giving back, showing up and staying true to our mission, which is ensuring that everyone has access to quality, affordable, and gender-sensitive healthcare. This reflects how much we care for the boys, men, women, and girls whom we exist.