Pad a Girl (2020 -2024)

In a bid to promote menstrual hygiene management among girls and women, PDF-Africa launched the “Pad A Girl” initiative with a mission that revolves around providing comprehensive education on menstrual health and hygiene management, ensuring that girls and women are equipped with the necessary knowledge and resources to manage their periods confidently. Through interactive workshops, educational sessions, and the distribution of menstrual hygiene products, Pad A Girl ensures that girls and women have the knowledge and resources they need to manage their periods safely and hygienically. 

Over the past years, Pad A Girl has made significant strides in fulfilling its mission by positively impacting over a thousand females. Recently, in the year 2023, the PDF-Africa team commemorated World Menstrual Hygiene Day by visiting two government secondary schools in the Garki and Kuje areas of Abuja for the Pad A Girl initiative, where we provided menstrual hygiene education and distributed sanitary pads to the female students. The team also conducted interactive sessions to address any questions or concerns the students had about menstruation. These efforts aimed to empower young girls with knowledge and resources, ensuring that they can manage their periods properly and without interruption to their education. 

In 2024, PDF-Africa commemorated the World Menstrual Hygiene Day in collaboration with Give Girls a Chance (GGAC). The partners conducted a three-day menstrual health outreach initiative. The initiative was designed to break down barriers hindering effective menstrual health management thereby creating a period-friendly month. PDF-Africa extended its target audience to the broader community, including boys and men to break the silence, dismantle stereotypes surrounding menstruation, and address the misconceptions and myths that promote stigma, thereby creating a supportive environment where girls feel comfortable discussing their menstrual health openly and seeking help when needed.  

The outreach was conducted in three government secondary schools in Abuja – Government Junior Secondary School, Gbessa, Government Secondary School, Apo, Government Junior Secondary School, Durumi, and six communities in Kabusa Ward, Abuja, engaging over one thousand students and community members in comprehensive menstrual health and hygiene management discussions’ engaging boys and men in the conversation to foster understanding and eliminate stigma, and create a supportive environment for open dialogue and menstrual health management. 

Through this ongoing initiative, PDF-Africa continues to play a crucial role in improving menstrual hygiene awareness and practices among young females, fostering a healthier and more informed community.