By Mercy Abalaku | Program Officer
Menstrual hygiene management can be particularly challenging for girls and women in developing countries, where clean water and toilet facilities are often inadequate. In addition, traditional cultures make it difficult to discuss menstruation openly. This limits women's and adolescent girls’ access to relevant and important information about the normal functions of their bodies. This directly affects their health, education, and dignity. Access to information can be considered a human right.
Currently, there are about 3.73 billion women in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 52%, or 1.9 billion, of those women are of reproductive age, thus menstruating (WHO, 2018). Women at some point in their lives will go through the reproductive age and therefore, will experience menstruation. It has been estimated that daily 300 million women are menstruating; on average a woman will spend about 3,500 days during her life menstruating.
In Nigeria, an estimated 37 million women and girls experience period poverty, meaning that they are unable to access or afford menstrual products like pads and tampons, but also pain medication and underwear. It's a situation that remains largely unaddressed within society, even as the escalating cost of sanitary pads over the past five years has worsened the problem, putting an essential product out of reach for a large portion of the population.
In addition to the material difficulties caused by period poverty, there is also a stigma attached to menstruation, particularly in more conservative parts of Nigeria. That stigma reinscribes social inequalities. "Period poverty and gender inequality intersect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_hygiene_management
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/nigerian-activists-take-period-poverty
However, in Ikom and Boki Local Government of Cross River State, Nigeria, we trained 10 adolescent girls and young women who are peer mentors in their communities. The 10 Peer mentors significantly impact 336 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) through targeted peer sessions to enhance their knowledge of menstrual hygiene management (MHM). The mentors then address common myths and misconceptions about menstruation and encourage the adolescents to ask questions and seek guidance always from a trusted adult. These Peer Mentors advocate for change, fostering an environment where accurate and quality information about menstrual hygiene is accessible to adolescents and young women.
The Peer Mentors educate and empower adolescent girls to become advocates within their circles. They encourage the girls to share what they've learned with friends and family, fostering a ripple effect of knowledge and awareness throughout the community.
In the words of the girls:
“Participating in the peer sessions on menstrual hygiene has transformed me. I learned how to care for myself properly when I am on my monthly period and I realised I wasn't alone in my struggles. This knowledge has given me confidence and a sense of belonging’’ Lena 21 years
"Attending the peer session on menstrual hygiene was eye-opening. It educated me about proper care and helped me understand that many others shared my experiences. This newfound awareness has made me more confident and less ashamed, allowing me to embrace my womanhood with pride." Lydia 16 years
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser