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Tag: Menstruation

  • Building menstruation-friendly schools: What needs to change

    Building menstruation-friendly schools: What needs to change

    Across Nigeria, millions of adolescent girls face avoidable barriers to education simply because they menstruate. From the absence of clean toilets and safe water to the unavailability of sanitary pads, schools remain ill-equipped to support girls through a natural biological process. As a result, many girls stay home for several days each month, missing valuable learning time and, in extreme cases, dropping out entirely.

    Creating menstruation-friendly schools is no longer optional—it is a necessity. Experts say it demands changes in infrastructure, policy, and attitude, backed by sustained advocacy from both government and civil society.

    The reality in Nigerian schools

    “In Nigeria, menstrual health continues to be a taboo-ridden battlefield, where lack of open dialogue, cultural myths, and economic constraints force many girls and women into precarious hygienic conditions,” says Abdulhameed Adediran, Team Lead for Menstrual Health Initiatives at Population Services International (PSI) Nigeria.

    According to Adediran, these challenges begin in schools. Many public schools lack gender-segregated toilets, access to clean water, and facilities for safe disposal of menstrual waste. In such environments, adolescent girls struggle to change or manage sanitary materials discreetly, which leads to discomfort, embarrassment, and absenteeism.

    “For a girl, having her period in school should not be a reason to hide or leave class,” Adediran noted. “But in many communities, the physical environment and the silence around menstruation make it almost impossible for girls to feel comfortable.”

    Policies that exclude girls’ needs

    Nigeria’s education and health policies have historically overlooked menstrual hygiene management. Even where water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) policies exist, they seldom include gender-specific infrastructure or menstrual health education.

    Teachers, particularly male educators, are often unequipped to respond empathetically to menstrual emergencies. Some schools still impose punishments or stigmatize girls who stain their uniforms. Others provide no private space for girls to clean up or access sanitary materials, reinforcing feelings of shame.

    Experts emphasise that the government must move beyond one-time awareness campaigns to embed menstrual hygiene in the national education policy framework. School management committees, parent-teacher associations, and local governments also have roles to play by integrating menstrual health into their operational budgets.

    PSI’s advocacy for adolescent-friendly infrastructure

    In response to these gaps, PSI Nigeria has been at the forefront of efforts to make schools more menstrual-friendly through its Menstrual Health – No Wahala (MH-NoW) program. The initiative targets adolescent girls aged 10–24 across six states—Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Sokoto—and promotes a holistic approach to menstrual health.

    Under MH-NoW, PSI works with schools and community leaders to install adolescent-friendly facilities, including clean toilets with water access, safe disposal units, and designated rest spaces for girls experiencing menstrual discomfort. The program also trains “menstrual health champions”—students, teachers, and healthcare workers—who lead awareness campaigns and peer-education sessions.

    So far, the initiative has reached over 200,000 individuals and trained more than 300 champions, transforming schools into safer and more inclusive environments for girls.

    Beyond infrastructure, PSI advocates for the inclusion of affordable sanitary pads in schools. The organization has urged both government and private partners to support local pad manufacturing to lower costs and ensure a steady supply.

    Changing mindsets, breaking silence

    While facilities are crucial, Adediran warns that cultural silence remains one of the biggest obstacles. “During our trainings, we ask what people call menstruation in their culture,” he explained. “Many hesitate to even utter the word ‘period,’ preferring euphemisms or silence. This pervasive hush means a girl may struggle to ask for pads or speak to a teacher about pain or infection.”

    Schools, he insists, must become safe spaces for dialogue. Incorporating menstrual health education into school curricula would empower both boys and girls to understand the process, dismantle myths, and normalize discussion. Teachers should also receive training to handle menstrual issues with empathy and accuracy.

    What needs to change

    To build menstruation-friendly schools, experts outline several priorities:

    1. Infrastructure investment: Every school should have gender-segregated toilets with running water, soap, and bins for sanitary waste.

    2. Pad accessibility: Schools should collaborate with NGOs and state agencies to ensure free or subsidized pads for students.

    3. Policy enforcement: Menstrual hygiene management must be enshrined in national and state education standards with clear funding lines.

    4. Teacher training: Educators should be equipped to provide guidance and psychological support to menstruating students.

    5. Community engagement: Parents and local leaders must be included in awareness campaigns to combat stigma from home to classroom.

    Adediran summarised the goal succinctly: “We must learn to say it, teach it, budget for it, and protect it.”

    Building menstruation-friendly schools is not merely about improving sanitation—it is about ensuring equality, dignity, and the right to education for every Nigerian girl.

  • Ending the silence: Why menstruation deserves open conversation, not a taboo

    Ending the silence: Why menstruation deserves open conversation, not a taboo

    When 15-year-old Rashidat got her first period while in school, she thought something terrible had happened. “I felt wet down there, and when I went to check, I saw blood,” she recalled during an interview with The Nation. “I was scared and ashamed. I thought I was injured or sick. I didn’t know what to do, so I tied my sweater around my waist and waited for school to close.”

    For Bimbo, a 14-year-old JSS3 student in the Ketu area of Lagos, her first menstrual experience was equally confusing. “I was in class and felt a strange pain in my lower stomach. When I got home and went to the toilet, I saw blood. I screamed and called my elder sister. She smiled and said, ‘Welcome to womanhood.’ I didn’t even understand what she meant. I was just scared.”

    These stories are not unusual in many parts of Nigeria and across Africa. Despite being a natural biological process, menstruation is still clouded by silence, stigma, myths, and misinformation. For millions of girls like Rashidat and Bimbo, their first period comes with fear, shame, and isolation — not because it is abnormal, but because society has made it taboo.

    Breaking the silence

    On Friday in Lagos, during a two-day capacity-building workshop for media practitioners and social media influencers, experts challenged this culture of silence. The workshop, organised by Population Services International (PSI) Nigeria, aimed to deepen public understanding of menstrual health and bridge the gap between science, storytelling, and social change.

    Dr. Hameed Adediran, Senior Programme Manager and Team Lead of Menstrual Health Initiatives at PSI Nigeria, provided essential context. “Menstruation is a sign of a healthy reproductive system,” he said. “It is not a disease, not a curse, and not something to be ashamed of.”

    He stressed the need for accurate information, especially for young girls who are often left in the dark about what menstruation is and how to manage it hygienically and confidently. “When we do not talk about periods openly, we leave space for myths, stigma, and harmful practices to thrive,” Adediran noted.

    Myths and misconceptions

    Mr. Akorede Akerele, Lagos State Support Officer for Menstrual Health and Hygiene Initiatives at PSI Nigeria, took the conversation further by outlining several common myths and cultural taboos surrounding menstruation that affect millions of girls and women.

    “Girls are often told not to wash their hair or even bathe during menstruation because they might fall ill or become infertile,” he explained. “Others are warned that using tampons will make them lose their virginity, or that menstrual pain is punishment for wrongdoing. These beliefs have no scientific basis and are dangerous.”

    Some communities go as far as banning menstruating women from cooking, entering religious places, or even touching water sources. “It is not just about health,” Akerele said. “It’s about dignity, equality, and the right of every woman and girl to live free from discrimination.”

    He emphasised that menstruation is the body’s natural way of shedding the uterine lining when there is no pregnancy — a vital part of the reproductive cycle. “Menstrual blood is not dirty or toxic. Virginity is not lost by using a tampon. Women and girls can bathe, cook, and go about their daily lives during menstruation — with proper hygiene, there is no harm.”

    The impact of taboos

    The consequences of menstrual taboos are wide-ranging and severe. Girls miss school due to a lack of access to sanitary products or fear of being mocked. Some are forced into early marriages under the mistaken belief that menstruation signals readiness for motherhood. Others suffer in silence with severe menstrual pain because they are told it is normal and not worth complaining about.

    “Menstrual stigma doesn’t just affect health,” said Dr. Adediran. “It affects education, mental well-being, and economic opportunities. If a girl misses school five days a month due to menstruation, that’s 60 days in a year. That’s enough to set her back academically.”

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    In workplaces, women often feel forced to hide their periods, fearing that they will be perceived as weak or unclean. In households, mothers sometimes avoid discussing menstruation with their daughters because they were raised in silence.

    Changing the narrative

    The workshop encouraged journalists and influencers to use their platforms to challenge stereotypes and promote menstrual equity. By telling real stories, sharing expert knowledge, and encouraging open conversations, the media can play a key role in transforming attitudes.

    “There’s no shame in bleeding,” said Adediran. “There’s only shame in making young girls feel like their bodies are something to hide.”

    Schools, too, have a role to play. Comprehensive sexuality education should include information on menstrual health — not just for girls, but for boys as well. “We need boys to understand what periods are, so they can support their sisters and classmates rather than tease them,” Akerele said.

    Healthcare providers, religious leaders, and community elders must also be part of the solution. “When respected voices speak truth and science, people listen,” he added.

    From shame to strength

    For Rashidat and Bimbo, understanding what menstruation is — and that it’s nothing to be ashamed of — made all the difference. “My sister later explained it to me,” said Rashidat. “Now I know it’s normal and I’m not scared anymore.” Bimbo, too, has grown in confidence. “My sister bought me pads and showed me how to use them. Now, I even help my friends when they start their own periods.”

    These simple acts of support — accurate information, a listening ear, access to sanitary materials — can change lives. They can turn fear into pride, silence into strength.

    Bleeding with dignity

    Menstruation is not a taboo — it is a testament to the strength and complexity of the female body. It should not be surrounded by shame, secrecy, or misinformation. Girls should not have to suffer in silence, miss school, or be excluded from activities because of a normal biological process.

    Workshops like the one organised by PSI Nigeria are vital in sparking the conversations people need. But the work must continue in homes, schools, religious centres, and public discourse. People must talk openly and honestly about periods, dismantle harmful myths, and empower every girl and woman to bleed with dignity.