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The Pad Me A Girl Initiative, in collaboration with the Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Access Bank, has renewed calls for improved menstrual health education and inclusion of girls in crisis situations.
This comes as Nigeria marked the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child at the Area 1 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp in Durumi, Abuja.
The event brought together displaced girls and women, policymakers, and development partners under the theme “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis.”
Convener of the Initiative and Chief Executive Officer of Gatmash Media, Mrs. Theresa Moses urged “stakeholders to take sustained action in addressing barriers that hinder girls from reaching their full potential.”
Mrs Moses noted that “through its Access Pad Me A Girl Pad Bank, the Initiative has reached over 5,000 beneficiaries with reusable sanitary pads, menstrual hygiene education, and mentorship.”
Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe, represented by her Personal Assistant, Mrs. Patricia Oyagha, emphasized the need for a national framework that recognises menstrual health as a public health and human rights issue.
Senator Kingibe said; “the Committee is working to integrate menstrual health education into the national school curriculum and ensure the affordability of sanitary products in underserved communities.”
Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by the Deputy Director of Child Development, Mrs. Mariam Fitumi Shaibu, commended the organisers for their commitment to gender empowerment.
She announced that “the Ministry is validating a National Policy on Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management and reviewing existing child protection laws to enhance gender equality and inclusion.”
The event also featured a health education session on menstrual hygiene management and the distribution of empowerment packs, including reusable sanitary pads and food items, to hundreds of girls and women at the camp.