Thousands of girls miss school every month because they can’t afford sanitary pads. The Pad a Girl campaign restores dignity, confidence, and the chance to learn.

Hauwa’s Story: A Window into the Crisis

When 15-year-old Hauwa Yakubu from Yobe State began menstruating, she didn’t have access to proper sanitary pads. Instead, she used old rags, uncomfortable, unsafe, and embarrassing. On her period days, Hauwa stayed home, missing valuable classes and falling behind her peers.

“I just couldn’t face my classmates,” she recalled in a UNICEF feature. “I was too ashamed, and the rags often stained my clothes.”

Everything changed when Hauwa joined a training program that taught her to make reusable pads. She practiced until she had six strong, reliable pads of her own, neatly stored in a wooden box. For the first time, she could attend school confidently, even during her period.

Huawa’s Story

Hauwa’s relief and resilience mirror the silent struggles of millions of adolescent girls across Nigeria and Africa.

The Bigger Picture: Why Pads Matter

Hauwa is not alone. Across Nigeria, 1 in 10 girls misses school during her period because she cannot afford sanitary products. Pads are often priced beyond the reach of families living on a modest income, sometimes consuming up to 11% of a household’s monthly earnings.

This is not just a health issue. It’s an education crisis:

• Missing up to five school days each monthmeans girls fall behind in lessons.
• Repeated absences lower self-confidence and increase the risk of dropping out altogether.
• Stigma and silence around menstruation deepen the shame and isolation girls feel.

A pack of pads may seem small, but for an adolescent girl, it is the difference between staying in school or staying at home. Between dignity and despair.

Introducing Pad a Girl: A Movement for Dignity

This is where the Pad a Girl campaign comes in. A collaboration between Deborah’s Impact Project Africa (DIPA) and Blossomflow Foundation, the initiative will reach 1,000 girls across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, starting in underserved urban communities like Ikate Elegushi and Oniru in Lagos.

The campaign goes beyond handing out pads. Each girl receives a dignity kit containing sanitary pads, an educational flyer, and an encouragement note. But more importantly, the program includes:

• School-based menstrual health education led by trained facilitators.
• Peer conversations and breakout sessions to normalize periods and reduce stigma.
• Community dialogues that bring parents, teachers, and leaders into the conversation.

The goal is not charity, it is equity and empowerment.

Why This Campaign Matters

For girls, the benefits are immediate: restored dignity, better school attendance, and stronger confidence. For families and communities, it builds long-term awareness that menstruation is natural, healthy, and nothing to be ashamed of.

For partners and supporters, the impact is measurable. The campaign will track:

• Number of pad kits distributed.
• School attendance during menstrual days.
• Pre- and post-session awareness levels.
• Testimonials from girls, parents, and teachers.

This means every action is backed by real data and real human stories.

A Future Where Periods Don’t Pause Dreams

The Pad a Girl campaign is designed as a scalable model, one that can be replicated in other underserved communities across Africa. It aligns with global development goals on health, education, and gender equality. Most importantly, it tells every adolescent girl: Your period should never hold you back.

Blossomflow Foundation is proud to stand with DIPA in this mission. Together, we envision a future where no girl is absent from school because she lacks a pad, and where dignity is never negotiable.

Conclusion

Hauwa’s wooden box of reusable pads is more than fabric and thread, it is a symbol of resilience, confidence, and opportunity. If one girl’s story can spark change, imagine what a thousand empowered girls can do.

The Pad a Girl campaign is not just about pads. It’s about unlocking potential, restoring dignity, and keeping dreams alive.

FAQs

Q1: What is period poverty?
Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, or education about periods.

Q2: Who benefits from the Pad a Girl Campaign?
The pad a girl campaign targets 1,000 adolescent girls aged 10–17 across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, with a focus on schools and communities.

Q3: How does period poverty affect education?
Girls often miss school during their periods, leading to poor academic performance and higher dropout rates.

Q4: How can I support the Pad a Girl Campaign?
You can partner, volunteer, or simply raise awareness to support the mission.