By Amina Ahmed
The Nigerian Society for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (NEWSAN), Bauchi State Chapter, has distributed sanitary pads to more than 100 adolescent girls at Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Birshi, in commemoration of the 2025 World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
This year’s global theme, “A Period-Friendly World for Everyone,” underscores the need for inclusive menstrual health management, especially in schools.
As part of the celebration, NEWSAN also donated additional sanitary pads to the school’s pad bank, aiming to promote consistent menstrual hygiene support and reduce absenteeism among female students.
Speaking during a health education session held at the school, the State Coordinator of NEWSAN, Ms. Dabis Mwalike, emphasized the importance of awareness in tackling the health implications associated with poor menstrual hygiene.
“We are raising awareness among these girls on how poor menstrual hygiene can negatively affect their health and well-being. Our goal is to ensure menstruation does not hinder their school attendance,” she said.
She noted that lack of access to water, proper sanitation facilities, sanitary pads, and safe disposal systems continues to be a major barrier for many schoolgirls.
Mwalike called on the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) to support the school’s pad bank initiative and sustain menstrual health interventions.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Keziya Joshua, Vice Principal of GGSS Birshi, disclosed that the school has over 600 adolescent girls and has maintained a functional pad bank stocked monthly with 30 packets of sanitary pads through the support of the PTA.
She expressed appreciation to NEWSAN for selecting the school as a beneficiary of their initiative and appealed for continued support to promote good menstrual hygiene practices among students.
Two students of GGSS Birshi, Ms. Rahila Bitrus and Ms. Joy Friday, shared their takeaways from the session, stating that the health talk deepened their understanding of the negative consequences of poor menstrual hygiene, including rashes, bad odor, and urinary tract infections.
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