Experts have called for increased efforts to achieve menstrual equity and improve financial literacy among schoolgirls across the country.

They said access to menstrual health resources and education is critical to girls’ academic progress, wellbeing and future economic participation.

The call was made during the commemoration of World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026, where Moniepoint partnered with Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls (S.A.N.G.) to provide sanitary kits, menstrual health education and financial literacy lessons to 500 students of New Era Girls Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos.

The initiative, held under the global theme, “A Period-Friendly World,” brought together volunteers from Moniepoint and facilitators from S.A.N.G. to educate students on menstrual hygiene, reproductive health and practical life skills designed to support their personal and economic development.

The intervention comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over period poverty and its impact on girls’ education and wellbeing.

Globally, an estimated 500 million women and girls lack access to the resources needed to manage menstruation safely, hygienically and with dignity due to limited access to sanitary products, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and persistent social stigma surrounding menstruation.

Speaking on the significance of the partnership, Moniepoint’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Edidiong Uwemakpan, said addressing period poverty aligns with the company’s commitment to promoting financial access and inclusion for Nigerians.

She explained that girls who miss school because of menstruation are more likely to fall behind academically, while women who face the practical and social burdens associated with poor menstrual health management often have their economic opportunities constrained.

According to Uwemakpan, integrating menstrual equity interventions with financial inclusion programmes provides a pathway to ensuring that women and girls are not excluded from opportunities for growth and prosperity.

The collaboration also reflects the long-standing advocacy efforts of Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls, which has reached more than 53,000 girls and distributed over 80,000 sanitary pads across 23 states since its establishment.

Founder of the organisation, Karo Omu, maintained that menstrual poverty should not be viewed solely as a health issue, noting that it also has significant economic implications for women and girls.

Omu disclosed that the organisation has supported more than 80,000 women and girls through menstrual health education and access to essential products, adding that the partnership with Moniepoint provides an opportunity to expand the impact of such interventions.

She noted that many women in underserved communities face barriers to economic participation because they lack access to basic menstrual products, stressing that combining menstrual equity with financial inclusion could deliver more sustainable empowerment outcomes.

According to her, the collaboration is designed to move beyond product distribution by creating scalable programmes that support both the health and economic advancement of women and girls.

As part of the outreach, volunteers encouraged the students to embrace adolescence with confidence and not allow menstruation or societal misconceptions surrounding it to limit their aspirations.