Women Win, a nonprofit focused on girls’ health and empowerment, has intensified advocacy for free menstrual products in Nigeria after training students in Lagos on how to produce and manage reusable sanitary pads.
At a recent outreach held across selected public schools, the organisation educated girls on menstrual hygiene, cycle tracking, and the safe use of reusable pads an intervention many students described as timely amid rising costs of disposable products.
Speaking during the exercise, a representative of Women Win explained that many girls still lack access to basic menstrual supplies, leaving them vulnerable to embarrassment, stigma, and absenteeism. She noted that NGOs often donate pads to the schools, and teachers make them available to girls in need.
“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 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 who participated in the training expressed relief at the project’s impact.
Deborah, a student of Estate Senior Grammar School, said the country’s current economic hardship often forces parents to prioritise other needs when money for pads is requested. Learning how to make reusable pads, she said, now gives her a sense of security.
Vincent Victoria of Itolo Girls Junior School shared that menstrual pain once made her fear growing into womanhood, but noted that the training gave her confidence through improved hygiene education and coping techniques.
Women Win said the intervention aims to ensure that no girl misses school or feels excluded because of menstruation. The outreach ended with renewed calls for stronger advocacy, community involvement, improved sanitation facilities, and a nationwide commitment to free menstrual hygiene products for girls.
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