Foundation Promotes Menstrual Hygiene Awareness Among Girls

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has moved to promote menstrual health education and address the stigma associated with menstruation among girls and young women in Nigeria.

In a publication unveiled Thursday in Abuja, the foundation highlighted challenges facing girls in accessing accurate menstrual health information and the cultural taboos that discourage open discussions about menstruation in many communities.

Speaking at the event, the senior advocacy and marketing manager of AHF Nigeria, Steve Aborisade, said there was a need to expand menstrual health education among adolescents and young women, particularly to address the stigma that had hindered awareness efforts. He said the comic format of the publication was intended to make menstrual health information easier for young people to understand and share.

The AHF Nigeria country programme director, Dr Echey Ijezie, said the organisation would explore translating the publication into several Nigerian languages to make the information accessible to more girls and young women.

He added that the organisation would engage relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Education, on opportunities to use the publication for education and awareness activities.

Representing the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Osaro Osa-Jarikre of the ministry’s Child Development Department said the ministry was committed to supporting initiatives that promote the welfare and development of the girl child. She said the ministry would explore ways of incorporating relevant programmes into its policies and activities for girls in the country.

The unveiling was attended by representatives of civil society organisations, health professionals and child development advocates, including officials of AHF, the Kids and Teens Resource Centre, Lawyers Alert and members of the Girls Act. Globally, nearly two billion people menstruate, while about 500 million experience period poverty, according to estimates by UNICEF and the World Bank.