Menstrual Poverty Support For Rural Women in Enugu

Over 1 billion people globally menstruate monthly, and millions of this population including girls, women, transgender men, and non-binary persons managed their menstrual experiences in unhealthy ways (UNICEF n.d.). The World Bank (2018) report shows that about 500 million women and girls worldwide lack the facilities needed for menstrual hygiene management [MHM]. In many countries including Nigeria, gender inequality, taboos associated with menstruation and  traditional silence around menstruation limit the ability of women and girls - particularly in rural communities, to fully and equally participate in society. This affects their overall health, social status, dignity and self-esteem.

As part of celebrations to mark this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Equity Watch Initiative and it’s community partners have planned series of advocacy activities within Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu State Nigeria; menstrual hygiene education for women – with a strong focus on learning patterns from mother to child, menstrual hygiene management for rural teenage girls, and teaching rural women how to make eco-friendly sanitary pads. We have also planned radio and in-person sessions to help the male folks learn about menstruation and support the women around them. This year’s campaign is tagged, “Let’s Break The Silence, Menstruation Is Not A Taboo’. We are seeking your support towards raising the sum of four million, five hundred  thousand naira (N4,500,000.00) only to execute this year’s week-long campaign.

Equity Watch Initiative is a registered, non-governmental organization domiciled in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Our organization is committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls - a key issue at the heart of United Nations agenda 2030. We envision a gender-equitable world where men, women, boys and girls work as partners for a better future. We work to end all forms of gender-based violence and we are committed to improved menstrual hygiene management to reduce period poverty, improve the health and dignity of women and girls and indeed the entire society and also to reduce the culture of silence around menstruation.