Menstrual Hygiene Day: Foundation Supports 100 Abuja Girls

The Shamies Unusual Heart Foundation has partnered with Pad-Up Africa to host the Walk4Pad 2026 advocacy walk and donated one-year menstrual hygiene kits and dignity packs to 100 disadvantaged girls and women in Abuja as part of activities marking the 2026 Menstrual Hygiene Day.

The advocacy walk was held over the weekend at Millennium Park under the global movement theme, “#PeriodFriendlyWorld.”

During the sensitisation programme, the acting executive director of Shamies Unusual Heart Foundation, John Olugbemi, who represented the executive director and founder, Sara Abdul, said the partnership was aimed at increasing awareness about menstrual hygiene challenges facing girls and women.

According to him, the advocacy walk was organised to educate the public and encourage support for menstrual hygiene initiatives.

He said, “We are proud to partner with Pad-Up Africa as part of activities marking Menstrual Hygiene Day. We realise there is still a lot of misinformation surrounding menstrual hygiene and sensitisation, especially regarding how it affects girls and women.

“We want the public to better understand the challenges faced by girls and women regarding menstrual hygiene. The walk is part of activities marking Global Menstrual Hygiene Day. It is aimed at promoting awareness, education, and sensitization about the challenges women and girls face.”

Olugbemi called on government authorities to take the issue of period poverty more seriously, noting that many disadvantaged girls could not afford sanitary products.

He added, “It is sad that many disadvantaged girls suffer from period poverty and cannot afford sanitary products. What we are doing today is to raise awareness so that measures can be put in place to ensure that every girl can afford sanitary pads and properly care for herself.”

In her remarks, the Executive Director of Pad-Up Africa, Ashley Olachi Lori, stressed the importance of menstrual hygiene education and gender-sensitive facilities in schools.

Lori emphasised that menstruation should never be treated as a source of shame, urging girls to maintain confidence and dignity at all times.

She said: “We are going to continue to advocate for adequate menstrual hygiene information in schools, as well as proper menstrual hygiene facilities and gender-sensitive toilets.

“We want every young girl to understand that menstruation is a natural phenomenon and should never be a source of shame. Every girl should carry herself with dignity anywhere she finds herself.”

She noted that the organisation was working to debunk myths and stigma surrounding menstruation while promoting menstrual health education in schools and communities.

According to her, about 1,000 girls across four rural schools would benefit from this year’s programme through the distribution of sanitary pads and training on reusable sanitary pad production and maintenance.

She further dismissed misconceptions discouraging girls from participating in sports while menstruating, noting that exercise could help relieve cramps and regulate menstrual flow.

One of the beneficiaries, Faleye Eniola, described the programme as empowering and called for reduced prices of sanitary pads.

She said: “I feel refreshed, energized, and more valued as a female growing up in Nigeria. I think sanitary pads should be made cheaper because many people cannot afford them.”

Eniola noted that the rising cost of sanitary products was making access difficult for many girls and women, urging authorities and stakeholders to subsidize sanitary pads or distribute them free to vulnerable groups.

Also speaking, the founder of Lokas Intercontinental Sons of Tomorrow Initiative, Chieloka Iloputaife, stressed the need for boys and young men to support girls and help end period stigma.