WaterAid Advocates for Universal Access to Menstrual Hygiene Products and Facilities for Everyone Everywhere in Nigeria
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May 28 of every year is set aside globally, to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day. This day envisions a world where the stigma and culture of silence surrounding menstruation are a thing of the past, and everyone can access the products, education, and facilities they need. This year’s theme “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld” underscores the necessity for collective efforts to create an environment where menstruation is safely managed with dignity and privacy.
Studies show that…
Every day, approximately 800 million women and girls are on their periods, yet one-third of this population do not have access to clean water, decent, female-friendly, and private toilets, cost effective sanitary materials to manage menstruation with privacy and dignity. This results in poor menstrual health and hygiene management among women and girls, keeping them from reaching their full potentials.
In Nigeria, girls in school experience indignity in the management of their menstrual hygiene which in most cases affect school retention, attendance and completion. Less than 1 in 10 (8 %) schools have girls' toilet compartments with provisions for menstrual health and hygiene management. To support Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHHM) and ensure that girls remain in school, toilets in schools must be gender-segregated and have water and soap for handwashing with covered garbage bins. (WASH NORMS 2021)
Menstrual Health and Hygiene is an essential part of WaterAid’s integrated approach to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and our contribution towards gender equity in homes, communities, education, health and the workplace. Working with partners and in collaboration with local communities, we strive to provide scalable models for sustainable solutions, such as the construction of female-friendly toilets in schools. Additionally, our Hygiene Behaviour Communication (HBC) programs work to empower young girls and boys with knowledge and skills they need for proper Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) by dispelling myths and stigma surrounding menstruation.
The 2024 theme, "Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld," calls for collective action from Government, NGOs, and the Private Sector to prioritize menstrual health. It is a reminder that menstrual hygiene management is not just a woman's issue but a societal one. By ensuring that every girl and woman can manage her period safely with dignity as this will pave the way for a more equitable and just society.
Evelyne Mere, Country Director for WaterAid Nigeria said,
‘’It is evident that promoting menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is not only a hygiene matter; it is also an important step towards safeguarding the dignity, health and overall life opportunities of women and girls. Hence, the need for all stakeholders to come together.”
As we commemorate this important day, WaterAid Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to continue to innovate, learn and collaborate with others to find solutions that work for all women and girls, everywhere. We call on stakeholders at all levels to support initiatives that promote menstrual health, address systemic barriers, and foster an environment where every woman and girl can thrive.
Ensuring that women have access to, and choice of affordable menstrual hygiene products should be normal for everyone, everywhere in one generation. Together, let us work towards a future where menstrual hygiene is recognized as a basic right and an essential component of gender equity.
/ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Zainab Mukhtar, WaterAid Nigeria Communications Officer,
[email protected], +234 8141569826
Notes to Editors:
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 28 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 27 million people with clean water and 27 million people with decent toilets.
For more information, visit www.wateraid.org, www.wateraid.org/nigeria; follow @WaterAidNigeria, @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress on Twitter, or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraid, www.facebook.com/wateraidnigeria, www.facebook.com/wateraidnigeria
* In Nigeria:
- 44.5 million people in Nigeria – one in five – don’t have clean water close to home.
- 116.8 million people in Nigeria – just over half the population – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
- 150.6 million people in Nigeria – almost three quarters of the population – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
- In Nigeria, over 65,000 children under 5 die every year from diarrhoea caused by dirty water, poor toilets and no hygiene facilities.
- Only 1 in 10 schools have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services (11%).
- Only 1 in 20 healthcare facilities have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services (6%).
- Less than 1 in 20 parks and markets have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services (4%).
