The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has announced plans to partner with the Federal Ministry of Education to promote menstrual health awareness among adolescent girls and young women through schools and other educational platforms.
The initiative will be driven by a newly unveiled 26-page comic magazine designed to educate young people on menstruation, personal hygiene and the dangers of cultural taboos and stigma surrounding menstrual health.
The publication, launched on Thursday at the AHF office in Abuja, uses illustrations and relatable stories to correct misconceptions about menstruation, promote proper menstrual hygiene and encourage boys and men to support efforts to eliminate discrimination against girls and women.
Speaking at the launch, AHF Nigeria Country Programme Director, Dr Echey Ijezie, said the foundation would engage the Federal Ministry of Education on opportunities to distribute the magazine in schools and through educational outreach programmes.
Ijezie also disclosed that AHF planned to translate the publication into several Nigerian languages to make its contents accessible to more young people, particularly girls in communities where language barriers could limit access to menstrual health information.
The foundation’s Senior Advocacy and Marketing Manager, Mr Steve Aborisade, said the publication was designed to address persistent stigma surrounding menstruation, which he identified as a major obstacle to effective menstrual health campaigns.
He expressed optimism that the comic format would make the subject easier and more interesting for adolescents to understand, while encouraging them to pass the knowledge on to their peers.
Representing the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Osaro Osa-Jarikre of the ministry’s Child Development Department, described AHF as an important partner in promoting the welfare and development of the girl child.
She said the ministry was looking forward to incorporating the foundation’s programmes into its forthcoming policy framework and assured the organisation of government support for initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of young Nigerians.
Global estimates indicate that nearly two billion people menstruate, while about 500 million experience period poverty, highlighting the need for improved access to menstrual health education and hygiene resources.
The launch was attended by AHF Nursing Manager, Dr Charity Awunor; State Clinical Coordinator, Dr Ugochi Ajaero; Programme Officer of Kids and Teens Resource Centre, Abuja, Binta Suleiman Jalo; Taiwo Ajani of Lawyers Alert, Abuja; representatives of civil society organisations and members of Girls Act.
