By Peter Duru, Makurdi

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has made a strong call for improved menstrual hygiene management, reduced stigma around menstruation, and greater access to affordable sanitary products for women and girls ahead of the Monday, May 25 commemoration of the Menstrual Health Day.

The event, scheduled for Keffi, Nasarawa State, and slated to hold at Victory Baptist School, Daddin-Kowa, Keffi, and expected to bring together students, health advocates, government officials, and civil society organisations to promote menstrual health awareness and support for adolescent girls.

In a statement, AHF Nigeria Senior Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Steve Aborisade, explained that although Menstrual Health Day is globally observed every May 28, the organisation decided to hold the programme earlier because the date coincided with a national holiday.

According to him, students from Victory Baptist School, Flobam British Secondary School, Government Secondary School, and Government Junior Secondary School, all in Keffi, would participate in the event.

Government officials expected at the programme include representatives of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Education, and the state’s Gender-Based Violence, GBV, focal person.

Other participating organisations include the Association of Positive Youths Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (APYIN), the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), and the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN).

AHF said “the event shall see a menstrual health expert take participants through the salient issues in menstrual health management, particularly as it concerns access to menstrual health products and the stigma associated with menstruation in our society.

“Participating students will also learn the basic steps to keeping healthy and well during their periods, while also making boys allies of menstrual health management” while teaching girls practical steps to remain healthy during their menstrual periods.

AHF disclosed that about 150 participants are expected at the event, with each participant receiving a two-month supply of sanitary towels and other support materials.

Speaking on the significance of menstrual health, AHF Africa Bureau Chief, Martin Matabishi, lamented the challenges many African women and girls face in accessing menstrual products and safe facilities.

“Across Africa, too many women and girls still lack access to basic menstrual products and safe facilities, forcing them to miss school, risk their health, or turn to unsafe coping strategies,” Matabishi said.

“Menstrual health is not a luxury, it is a fundamental part of public health and HIV/STI prevention. Governments must remove taxes, invest in access, and break the silence around menstruation to protect health, dignity, and opportunity for all,” he added.

Also speaking, AHF Nigeria Country Programme Director, Dr. Echey Ijezie, noted that nearly two billion people menstruate globally, with about 500 million experiencing period poverty.

“Globally, nearly two billion people menstruate, with 500 million experiencing period poverty. These challenges can lead to reliance on transactional relationships or relationships with significant age differences, reducing the ability to negotiate safer sex and raising the risk of HIV and other STIs,” Ijezie said.

He commended countries that have removed or reduced taxes on menstrual products and urged others to adopt similar policies to improve access for vulnerable groups.

AHF further stressed that cultural taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation continue to hinder access to sexual and reproductive health information and services in many communities.

The organisation said efforts to improve menstrual health must include expanding access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services, while ensuring women and girls can manage their periods safely and with dignity.

As part of its empowerment initiatives, AHF said it currently operates Girls Act chapters in Abuja and Makurdi, Benue State, and plans to expand the programme to Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa states this year.