AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Nigeria, has stressed the need to set up ‘pad banks’ in schools and communities that would assist teenage girls in the event of menstrual emergencies.

The organisation disclosed this while commemorating the 2024 Menstrual Health Day (MHD), held at Angwan-Jukun, Wurukum, Makurdi Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue state on Tuesday.

Speaking to newsmen at the occasion, Steve Aborisade, the Advocacy and Marketing Manager, AHF Nigeria, noted that the call became necessary because majority of teenage girls face what he termed period poverty – lacking access and means to menstrual products which compels young women and girls to seek alternatives that are detrimental to their health and wellbeing.

He pointed out that the result is that most of the girls have to use other means to contain their menstrual flow, including the use of rags, cotton wool and in some cases tissue paper which are harmful to their health.

The Advocacy and Marketing Manager further stated that the inability of the teenagers to access sanitary pad has led to the call on all to end ‘period poverty’.

Aborisade informed that AHF was appealing to other partners, to contribute to the bank, adding that no matter how small their contributions were, it would go a long way to assist the girls. He said: “We came to this community, using certain criteria. We learnt that there is high prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy, sexual assault, teenage prostitution and so many more.

“Therefore, we felt that it is important to give the young people in this community some form of education. That was what led to the formation of the Community Committee on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in this community, with other partners in Benue.

“This is like a follow-up to that effort; you know we work with some young people and youth peer leaders, and we train them in CSE, because one of the key challenges young girls have now is access to sanitary pads; menstruation is a big deal. They have very little knowledge and awareness about it; on what to do and what not to do. And majority of them cannot even afford sanitary pads.

“And we have heard from speaker after speaker reinforcing the reality of our girls.”Giving further insight into the pad bank, Aborisade said, “The idea of a pad bank is to be able to create a repository of sanitary pads, for instance, in this community. So that some girls who cannot read their circle and as they are on their way to school, in school, or maybe in church or they are going out and discover that they are already wet (start menstruating) and sometime young boys are making jest of them; in such a situation the girl can quickly run to the house of the community head, for get an emergency supply to deal with the situation.

“And we are working with other partners that are here today, to contribute to that bank; if you contribute 10 rolls of the pads, it will go a long way”, he stated.

Aborisade also stated that AHF would further take its advocacy to the Benue state House of Assembly.

The Chairman, Benue state House of Assembly Committee on SDGs and NGOs, (BNHA), Peter Uche, said his committee is ready to partner with AHF and called on AHF to subsequently involve parents in such programmes, adding that parents should handle their children with tact.He encouraged parents to listen to their children and understand where they were coming from, rather than condemning them.

Also speaking at the event, which also served as a forum for creating awareness and education for the over 100 teenagers, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Helen Nyikaav, advised the girls to educate their peers on the harmful effects of using other means, other than sanitary pads to contain their menstruation. She said they should count themselves privileged to be exposed to such teachings at an early stage, because some of them were not privileged to this kind of information while growing up.

Mrs. Matina Adiyia, Head, Menstrual Health Desk Officer, Benue State Action Committee on AIDS (BENSACA), said the core mandate of the agency is HIV and AIDS, but the provision of sanitary pads is crucial as it intersects with HIV transmission. She explained that she would take the matter back to the Executive Secretary of the agency, to see how they would key into the project.

Miss. Catherine Sunday, a participant from the Agwan-Jukun community echoes the plights of other participants as she pleaded with government to come to the aid of young women and girls by providing free sanitary materials to them and to ensure that they have a conducive environment through the provisions of toilets and running water in schools and in the community so that girls can menstruate with dignity.