AHF partners FCT, Benue, Cross River States, donates sanitary pads to underserved communities

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has partnered with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benue, and Cross River States to provide sanitary pads to women and girls in underserved communities.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs in Cross River State, Mrs Edema Irom, disclosed this during an engagement with four secondary schools in Cross River to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) on May 28, 2025.

During the engagement, AHF distributed sanitary pads to students of West African Peoples’ Institute (WAPI), Government Secondary School Lagos Street, Calabar, Henshaw Town Secondary School, and Government Secondary School Akim.

The Commissioner highlighted the importance of breaking taboos, ensuring access to quality menstrual products, and providing comprehensive period education and period-friendly facilities in all places.

She stated, “The greatest challenge we have had as a ministry is the provision of pads. Even if the pads are made available, another challenge is water and proper toilet facilities in schools.

“It will shock you to know that most times women come to the ministry to ask for pads, and many girls sleep around for things as little as money for sanitary pads,” she said.

Irom described the 2025 MHD theme, “Together for a Period-Friendly World,” as apt and called on line Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and communities to collaborate in ensuring sanitary pads are provided in public places.

Speaking, the Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AHF Nigeria, Steve Aborishade, said menstruation goes beyond hygiene to include creating a conducive environment for girls during their monthly periods.

He noted that identified issues include lack of access to sanitary products, water, stigma, and taboos associated with menstruation.

He added, “We are pushing for a society where menstruation is not seen as a problem but something normal for young women and girls. We hope to end the era where girls use different materials that cause complications in their health as sanitary towels.”

Mrs Gertrude Egbole, Principal of WAPI, represented by Mrs Ofem Okoi, a teacher at the school, and Miss Destiny Udoaka, an SS1 student of Henshaw Town Secondary School, expressed appreciation for AHF’s engagement and the sanitary pads provided.

Udoaka particularly commended AHF for involving boys in the engagement, saying it would help them understand that “menstruation is not a crime but a normal thing that happens to every woman.”