The 28th day of May every year is set aside to mark the World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Millions of girls in Nigeria and Africa still find it difficult to access sanitary pads to enable them to maintain proper hygiene during their menstrual period.
Some of our girls still use old clothes or tissue paper as materials during their menstrual period because of their inability to afford sanitary pads. This poses a threat to their general health and self-esteem as adolescents.
According to the World Poverty Clock, 91.16 million Nigerians are living below a dollar a day. The cost of 1 packet of a menstrual pad in Nigeria is approximately 380 Naira which is almost equivalent to a dollar.
So, imagine a family living below 1 dollar a day, how can they afford to get sanitary pads for their daughters when they are not able to feed?
This year’s theme is ‘periods in pandemic’. The global pandemic has further worsened situations in many Nigerians homes and getting access to sanitary pads is a luxury at this time. This will even make it more difficult to maintain proper health measures which are essential to curb the spread of Covid-19.
This is a call to action for all hands to be on deck in the education of our girls on the need for adequate menstrual hygiene, and the need for well-meaning bodies, government agencies and non-governmental bodies to provide sanitary pads and materials to girls who do not have the privilege of using sanitary pads.
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