The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called on stakeholders to support efforts aimed at ending the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation, in a bid to create a supportive and inclusive environment for women and girls in Benue and Cross River States.
Mr. Steve Aborishade, Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AHF Nigeria, made the appeal during an engagement with selected secondary schools in Cross River State, held simultaneously in Benue State, to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD).
According to Mr. Aborishade, menstruation has gone beyond being merely a hygiene issue to one that requires a broader, enabling environment for women and girls to experience their periods with dignity.
He noted that beyond access to sanitary products and water, the persistent stigma and societal taboos around menstruation remain a major barrier to menstrual health.
“AHF is leading the campaign for a society where menstruation is not treated as a problem, but rather as a normal biological process. We hope to end the era where girls resort to using unsafe materials as sanitary pads, which often lead to health complications,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the Cross River State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Edema Irom, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partnering with AHF to provide sanitary pads to girls and women in underserved communities across the state.
She described the 2025 Menstrual Hygiene Day theme, “Together for a Period-Friendly World,” as timely and urged all relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and community leaders to work together in ensuring sanitary pads are made available in public places.
“One of our biggest challenges as a ministry is the provision of sanitary pads. Even when pads are available, many schools still lack access to clean water and proper toilet facilities,” she added.
As part of the celebration, AHF distributed sanitary pads to students of several schools, including West African Peoples’ Institute (WAPI), Government Secondary School, Lagos Street, Henshaw Town Secondary School, and Government Secondary School, Akim, all in Calabar.
Speaking on behalf of WAPI, Mrs. Ofem Okoi, a teacher who represented the school’s principal, Mrs. Gertrude Egbole, praised AHF for the initiative, noting that menstrual hygiene is taken seriously in the school.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Destiny Udoaka, an SS1 student of Henshaw Town Secondary School, expressed gratitude to AHF for the sanitary pads and the inclusive nature of the event.
“I’m happy that AHF involved boys in this program. It will help them understand that menstruation is not a crime but a normal process every woman experiences,” she said.
