Foundation Advocates Improved Menstrual Hygiene Access For Women, Girls

As part of activities to mark this year’s Menstrual Health Day, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has called for improved efforts to reduce stigma surrounding menstruation and improve access to safe sanitary products and clean menstrual health facilities for women and girls.

In a press statement, the Foundation disclosed that it would hold a commemorative event in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on Monday, May 25, ahead of the global observance on May 28, which coincides with a national holiday this year.

The organisation said the event would focus on promoting menstrual health management, addressing period poverty, and encouraging open conversations around menstruation as part of broader public health and HIV prevention efforts.

Speaking ahead of the event, AHF Africa Bureau Chief, Martin Matabishi, said many women and girls across Africa still lack access to basic menstrual products and safe facilities, forcing some to miss school or adopt unsafe coping mechanisms.

“Menstrual health is not a luxury; it is a fundamental part of public health and HIV/STI prevention. Governments must remove taxes, invest in access, and break the silence around menstruation to protect health, dignity, and opportunity for all,” he said.

Also speaking, AHF Nigeria Country Programme Director, Dr Echey Ijezie, noted that nearly two billion people menstruate globally, with about 500 million experiencing period poverty.

According to him, lack of access to menstrual products and reproductive health information can increase vulnerability to unsafe sexual relationships and raise the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

He commended countries that have reduced or eliminated taxes on menstrual products and urged others to adopt similar measures to ensure affordable access for all.

AHF Nigeria stressed that addressing menstrual health challenges must go hand in hand with efforts to normalise conversations around menstruation, expand access to sexual and reproductive health services, and eliminate discrimination against women and girls.