The Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF) has advocated for the provision of free menstrual pads for young girls as it reaffirmed its commitment to improving menstrual hygiene education and access in Nigeria. This came during its Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) media engagement session in Lagos, which brought together students, teachers, journalists, and key stakeholders to review the foundation’s year-long menstrual health intervention and highlight urgent needs in menstrual hygiene access.

Executive Secretary of YEF, Iwalola Akindina, explained that the media engagement was organised to disseminate findings and results from the foundation’s one-year menstrual hygiene project, which was implemented across schools and communities. She noted that the project initially targeted 41 schools, with a plan to train 50 students per school, including girls and boys, to ensure inclusive knowledge-sharing.

Akindina emphasized that menstrual hygiene education should not be limited to girls alone. “We wanted boys to understand menstruation, what girls go through, and how they can support them. Both boys and girls must know how to maintain menstrual hygiene and stay healthy,” she said.

To address the rising cost of sanitary products, the project focused heavily on training adolescents—both in school and out of school—to produce reusable menstrual pads. Akindina described the initiative as both a health solution and an economic opportunity. “Reusable pads are affordable and sustainable. We want young people to see pad-making as a potential business venture,” she added.

The intervention also extended to markets, churches, mosques, and community centres, following a needs assessment that revealed widespread sanitation challenges. Many public toilets lacked water, privacy, or accessibility for elderly persons and people with disabilities—conditions that make menstruation more difficult for women and girls.

While acknowledging improvements in Lagos State’s public-school water supply, Akindina noted that maintenance gaps persist. “Girls miss school because the toilets are not conducive. Some don’t have privacy. Some toilets are shared by both genders. These issues must be addressed,” she stressed.

To bridge gaps, YEF encouraged community involvement in school sanitation. Some parents, she revealed, took it upon themselves to renovate toilets and restore water supply. The project also featured multilingual radio programmes in English, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, designed to expand public understanding of menstrual health and reduce misinformation.

On the growing advocacy for free sanitary pads, Akindina stressed that menstrual products must be widely accessible. “Free pads should be in schools, airports, churches, mosques—everywhere. Pads are priced beyond the reach of many families. Providing free pads is not a favour; it is a necessity,” she stated.

Teachers and students also shared their experiences.
Mrs. Amuda Sherifat, a teacher, said the project helped her bond more closely with girls in her school, many of whom face financial barriers and lack knowledge about menstrual cramps and cycle tracking.

She explained that NGOs often donate pads to the school, which are made available to girls who need them. “Most girls don’t know how to calculate their menstrual cycle. I now teach them regularly so they can prepare ahead,” she said. She appealed to the government to support companies producing reusable pads and to make sanitary products free for girls, comparing it to the free distribution of condoms for men.

Students expressed relief at the project’s impact.
Deborah from Estate Senior Grammar School said the difficult economic situation often leads parents to express frustration when asked for money to buy pads. With reusable pads she learned to make through the foundation, she said she now feels more secure.

Vincent Victoria of Itolo Girls Junior School shared that menstrual pain had made her fear growing into womanhood but expressed hope after learning better hygiene and coping techniques.

The engagement ended with renewed calls for stronger advocacy, improved public sanitation facilities, community involvement, and nationwide access to free menstrual hygiene products to ensure that no girl is limited or excluded because of menstruation.