In an effort to combat period poverty and mark this year's Menstrual Health Day (MHD), the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has distributed free sanitary pads to 600 girls in the Agyogoyo Angwan-Jukun community of Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.
Steve Aborisade, the Advocacy & Marketing Manager of AHF Nigeria, emphasized the need to eliminate the stigma surrounding menstruation and the importance of government and partners joining hands with AHF to support women and menstruating individuals.
"We are here today to demonstrate what we want the government to do. We have to end period poverty, and the government must invest in the lives of these young ones," Aborisade said.
AHF Nigeria simultaneously distributed sanitary pads in three states – Benue, Akwa Ibom, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – as part of its advocacy to end period poverty.
Dr Eche Ijezie, the Country Programme Director of AHF Nigeria, highlighted the importance of providing young women and girls with a safe and conducive environment to manage their periods, regardless of their location or social status.
"Young women and girls, irrespective of their location or social status, must be able to have their periods in a safe and conducive environment and without the difficulties that a lack of access to sanitary products presently constitutes," Dr Ijezie stated in a released statement.
The initiative by AHF Nigeria is a significant step in addressing period poverty and advocating for improved menstrual health conditions for women and girls across the country.
