A youth-led advocacy group, The EmpowerHer Project, has urged the Federal, State, and Local Governments to integrate menstrual health education into the national school curriculum.
The group made the call during the unveiling of a book titled “Periods, Pads and Proud” in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, on Saturday.
Founder of the project, Elizabeth Odukoya, stressed that menstrual health inclusion is critical to ending period shame and reducing absenteeism among schoolgirls.
“The EmpowerHer Project is building a movement for change. We are working with schools and local authorities to integrate menstrual health into school curricula and advocating for a future where no girl has to miss school, feel ashamed or lack resources she needs simply because of her period,” she said.
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Odukoya revealed that in just over a year, the initiative had impacted over 3,000 girls across 11 schools and communities in Nigeria, distributing free sanitary products, promoting reusable pads, and organizing health talks to break the silence around menstruation.
“Our work goes beyond product distribution. We empower girls with knowledge and confidence to manage their periods safely and with dignity, while also engaging teachers, parents and communities to challenge harmful myths and taboos,” she added.
Also speaking, the Director of Quality Assurance at the Rivers State Ministry of Education, Dr. Chinedu Nwaodu, emphasized that menstrual health is already captured in the curriculum but called on teachers and parents to play their roles effectively.
“Even some of us as mothers are not doing what we are supposed to do. As for the schools, it’s there in the curriculum, it’s there in the scheme of work,” Nwaodu said, urging principals to ensure teachers guide their students correctly.
She further encouraged parents to openly discuss menstrual health with their daughters, noting that many young girls still face stigma and silence at home.
In his review of the book, Prof. Kaladada Korubo, a Haematology expert at Rivers State University, noted that it simplifies menstrual health for young readers.
“Knowledge is power. For that little girl who doesn’t know anything about menses, having read this book, she is going to know it all,” Korubo remarked.
The unveiling of “Periods, Pads and Proud” and the advocacy of The EmpowerHer Project reinforce the call for stronger policies on menstrual health inclusion in schools across Nigeria.
