The Lagos State Government, Southwest Nigeria, has said it is set to distribute no fewer than 20,000 sanitary pads to female students in secondary schools across the state in collaboration with a non-governmental organization, Vcare for Development Foundation.Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed this during a press briefing to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024.
Ogunyemi emphasized that menstrual hygiene is a public health issue that affects the health, well-being, and dignity of women and girls globally and must be regarded as a fundamental right for women and adolescent girls. She said the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day celebration, themed “Together for a Period Friendly World,” is an annual global day of awareness and action to promote good menstrual health among women and adolescent girls.
The Special Adviser added that the celebration aims to create a Lagos where the importance of menstrual hygiene is understood, and the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation are eradicated. She noted that the event, held annually on May 28, is significant because the “28” represents the average 28-day menstrual cycle, and the 5th month signifies an average of five days of menstrual flow.
Ogunyemi said, “The World Menstrual Hygiene Day is a global campaign uniting governments, NGOs, private organizations, individuals, and the media to promote good menstrual health and hygiene. The choice of May 28th is intentional and unique, symbolizing the 28-day menstrual cycle and the 5-day menstrual flow,” she said. She noted that the state government, in collaboration with Vcare for Development Foundation, was commemorating the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day with a week-long series of activities from May 29th to June 5th. According to her, these activities aim to reach at least 500,000 female students across the state with menstrual health information and distribute over 20,000 sanitary pads to female students in secondary schools.
She emphasized the state government’s commitment to ensuring that every menstruating female student has access to the necessary resources, information, and facilities to manage her menstruation hygienically. Ogunyemi noted that research indicates that many menstruating students stay home during their periods due to a lack of access to menstrual products and pain relief. “As a government, we are responsible for ensuring that every menstruating female has access to the necessary resources, information, and facilities to manage her menstruation hygienically. This includes access to affordable and quality menstrual products, clean and safe sanitary facilities, and education to dispel myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation. “Research has revealed that many menstruating students stay home during their periods due to a lack of access to menstrual products and pain relief. Some of them use rags or cloth to manage their menstrual flow,” she said.
Speaking in the same vein, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye noted that the state government prioritizes social inclusion, gender equality, and youth empowerment. He added that Lagos continues to lead in implementing interventions to positively influence the menstrual health and hygiene of girls and women in the state. “As we know, reproductive health rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment resonate strongly in the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus agenda of this administration, ensuring the inclusion of all citizens regardless of their social or gender status,” he said.
He urged all stakeholders, including the private sector, civil society, and individuals, to join the state government in advancing menstrual hygiene to ensure that every woman and girl can manage her menstruation safely, hygienically, and with pride. In his remarks, the National Program Manager, VCDF, Mr James Odey stated that his organization is keen on ensuring that adolescent girls remain in school as statistics show that most out-of-school children are girls with issues around menstruation. “Our interest is to ensure that our girls remain in school and ensure that they can take care of themselves and the awareness we create is that they help their peer group as well. “We are all aware of the statistics of girls and children who are out of school and when we disaggregate that we discover that those who are most affected are the girls and it is not unconnected with issues around menstruation” he said.
