A non-profit organisation, Deborah’s Impact Projects Africa (DIPA), has implemented its Pad-A-Girl Drive, empowering over 1,000 adolescent girls across Lagos with free sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene education.
The organisation said the initiative is aimed at eradicating menstrual poverty and ensuring that girls attend school without interruption, promoting dignity, confidence and academic success.
The Pad-A-Girl Drive, held at Gbara Community Senior High School, Jakande, Eti-Osa and Onike Junior High School, Iwaya, Yaba, both in Lagos state, provided menstrual hygiene products, education and confidence-building sessions to young girls who are often forced to miss school due to lack of access to sanitary pads.
With inflation pushing essential hygiene products beyond the reach of many families, thousands of girls miss school every month, leading to reduced academic performance, low self-esteem, and heightened social vulnerability.
Recognising this pressing issue, DIPA launched the Pad-A-Girl Drive to eradicate this trend and ensure that no girl is forced to choose between her dignity and her education.
Speaking at the outreach, the programmes director of DIPA, Diezani Ototo-Onuorah emphasised the organisation’s unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of women and girls across Africa.
She said, “As an organisation, we have seen first-hand how something as natural as menstruation can become a barrier that derails a girl’s destiny. That is why DIPA is fully taking responsibility, not just partnering, not just supporting, but leading this movement for menstrual dignity across communities.
“This week’s outreach is only the beginning. We are scaling, we are returning and we are expanding, because our girls deserve consistency, not occasional interventions. The future of Africa is tied to the opportunities we give our girls right now, and DIPA is determined to keep opening those doors.”
The principal of Gbara Community Senior High School, Mrs Oyewole Abosede, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the initiative, stating, “This initiative has restored dignity to many of our girls who have struggled quietly for months and years. By placing sanitary pads in their hands and knowledge in their hearts, you have empowered them to walk tall every day of the month.”
Similarly, the principal of Onike Junior High School, Dr. Patience Akingbade, stated, “many of our students come from families that find it difficult to afford basic hygiene items. What DIPA has done today goes beyond distributing pads; it has restored confidence, dignity, and focus to our girls. You have touched lives in a way that words cannot fully express.”
Since its inception, Deborah’s Impact Projects Africa has impacted over 10,000 women and girls across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and South Africa through initiatives that empower them spiritually, socially, and economically. These include The Joseph’s Project (food security), Financial Literacy Programme (economic empowerment), and the School Adoption Programme (improved learning environments).
