Written by Bernard Otu Assim-ita
Fatima was 14 when she got her first period. She had heard whispers about it in school but never received clear information on what to expect. The first time she bled, she used an old piece of cloth, embarrassed and afraid to tell her mother. At school, she stayed quiet when her classmates laughed about a girl who had stained her uniform. It was a silent struggle—one that millions of girls across Nigeria face every day.
Menstrual health and dignity remain significant yet overlooked issues in Nigeria, entangled in stigma, misinformation, and systemic neglect. In communities across the country, menstruation is still treated as a taboo, an unspoken reality that leaves many adolescent girls and young women vulnerable to poor health outcomes, educational disruptions, and social exclusion. Access to menstrual products remains a luxury for many, compounded by a lack of policy frameworks that would ensure structured and sustainable interventions.
While ministries like Health, Women Affairs, and Water Resources have initiated some menstrual health activities, there is no comprehensive national menstrual health policy to drive coordinated action. This gap results in fragmented efforts, insufficient funding, and an absence of menstrual health within broader sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programming. At the sub-national level, legislative support and budget allocations for menstrual health are virtually non-existent, meaning advocacy efforts remain crucial to keeping the conversation alive.
For adolescents with disabilities, these challenges are even more acute. With little to no research available on their specific experiences, policies often fail to consider the additional barriers they face—physical, social, and infrastructural. Without targeted support, many struggle to manage their menstrual health with dignity.
Education as a Vaccine(EVA), with the support of FOS FEMINISTA, is leading the charge in shifting the narrative on menstrual health in Nigeria. Through the Red Thread project, EVA is partnering with grassroots organizations and community advocates to challenge menstrual stigma, push for policy reforms, and improve access to menstrual health education and services.
At the heart of this initiative is the drive to strengthen the national menstrual health agenda by engaging key government ministries, departments, and agencies. By reviving and sustaining national and state-level conversations, EVA is advocating for the integration of menstrual health into health, education, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) policies.
Beyond policy, the Red Thread project prioritizes ensuring young women and girls in their diversity have access to accurate, rights-based menstrual health information. Leveraging telehealth services like the EVA Diva App, the initiative is bridging critical information gaps, empowering adolescents with knowledge, and connecting them to essential menstrual health services.
Regional collaboration is another core pillar of this initiative. Through knowledge-sharing platforms and stakeholder engagements, the project aims to encourage best practices, address region-specific menstrual health challenges, and foster advocacy that is tailored to local needs.
Additionally, the project will focus on building leadership skills for mid-level staff, ensuring that menstrual health advocacy is not only community-driven but also sustained within institutions that have the power to create lasting change.
For Fatima and millions like her, menstruation should not be a source of shame or struggle. It should not be a reason to miss school, suffer in silence, or be denied opportunities. The Red Thread project is weaving a new narrative—one where menstrual health is recognized as a fundamental right, where policies reflect the lived realities of young women, and where access to products, services, and education is no longer a privilege but a standard.
As Nigeria and Africa at large push towards greater self-sustainability in public health, menstrual health must be part of the agenda. Investing in menstrual health is investing in gender equity, education, and the future of young women. The time for fragmented approaches is over. The time for bold, coordinated action is now.