Group Moves To Sustain Menstrual Hygiene, Cervical Cancer Awareness In FCT Schools

Heart of Care Providers (HCP), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has taken steps to sustain menstrual hygiene and cervical cancer awareness education in both public and private schools in the FCT.

The organization, via the She Blooms Initiative, will not only conduct menstrual hygiene and cervical cancer awareness education at schools but also inaugurate the ‘Blooming Ambassadors Reaching Out To Communities’ (BAR) project to ensure its sustainability.

Over the past two years, HCP, through the She Blooms initiative, has conducted menstrual hygiene and cancer awareness campaigns in eight schools in the FCT.

This year, the campaign held on July 6 to 7, 2026, took place in seven FCT schools, including:  Bethel International Schools, Karu; Springs School and TeeGold Eduville College, both in Kado Kuchi, Jabi; in addition to Cedar International School, Kubwa; Gifted Brains Academy, Dantata; and God’s Basic Royal Academy, Bagusa, Dei-Dei.

The aim of the campaign is twofold: first, to debunk the stigma against menstruation as an experience that young girls should be ashamed of, or one that should cause them to miss classes, but rather as a rite of womanhood, while providing them with knowledge of how best to care for themselves while menstruating.

Secondly, the campaign educates pupils and students on the second most prevalent cancer in Nigeria, cervical cancer. As the fourth most deadly cancer globally, about 12,000 women are reportedly diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, while 8,000 of them die from it. Via the ‘She Blooms’ initiative, HCP enlightens both female and male pupils/students about cancer, its causes, and symptoms.

Significantly, the campaign enlightens students on the need for preventive care, which is possible at ages 9 to 14 years through the HPV Vaccine. It further provides the students/pupils with information on how to access the vaccine, which is freely administered in all primary healthcare facilities and government hospitals.

This year, beyond the usual talks on menstrual hygiene and cervical cancer and the distribution of leaflets on menstrual healthcare and cervical cancer awareness and prevention, more focus was placed on the use of art (a short drama skit) to pass the message.

“Our choice of using art, in this case a drama skit, is because messages passed via creative means leave a lasting impression on the mind. It ingrains the message into the memories of the audience,” said HCP founder, Dr Jocelyn Lee.

Moreover, attention was given to sustaining the campaign in the schools via the initiative’s Blooming Ambassadors Reaching Out to Communities (BAR) school clubs project in partnership with international organizations like the Global Cycle Initiative in the UK.

Founded by 17-year-old Dana Nurshaikova, the Global Cycle Initiative’s mission is to combat menstrual poverty globally. It does this through organizing workshops at her school, Felsted School in Sussex, UK, and hosting fundraising events, from which they donate to partner organizations such as HCP.

Nurshaikova was inspired upon learning from a former classmate at her prestigious school in Kenya that several of their age mates at less prestigious schools have had to miss school because they lack access to sanitary pads.

“I thought that was just wrong because menstruation shouldn’t be a punishment, but rather a rite of passage for every woman. So, I tried to fix it somehow through menstrual education for girls.”

In partnership with HCP’s BAR project, Global Cycle Initiative’s nine-man team will connect and network Nigerian students with their counterparts in the UK.

“Our team will be guiding these ambassadors, showing them the tools of leadership, how to create bonds that will help them in the future, and hopefully, address these problems together”.

BAR will see the nomination of two female student ambassadors, each from all fifteen FCT schools where the campaign was held. The students, supervised by a teacher recommended by their schools, will create a club comprising about 20 other members, including male students, who will carry out quarterly, health-inclined projects in their schools and school communities, with the financial and technical support of HCP and other international partners.

Through partners like Global Cycle Initiative, the students will connect with their counterparts in the UK, with whom they’d brainstorm, share notes and lessons learnt, and get trained on the necessary skills and knowledge that will not only enable them to carry out their projects but also become future impactful leaders.

With the selection of the four students vying for the BAR position in each of the fifteen schools achieved, the next step is the nomination of the two female student ambassadors.

According to the HCP Programme Manager, David Olukitibi, the nomination and inauguration of the ambassadors will happen in the near future.