Deborah's Impact Projects Africa (DIPA) has strengthened its campaign for menstrual health equity in Nigeria through its Pad-a-Girl initiative, reaching over 1,000 adolescent girls in Lagos with free sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene education.
The outreach conducted at Gbara Community Senior High School, Jakande, Eti-Osa and Onike Junior High School, Iwaya, Yaba, provided menstrual products, hygiene education and confidence-building sessions to girls who are often forced to drop out of school due to lack of access to sanitary pads.
With inflation making basic hygiene products out of reach for many families, DIPA launched Pad-a-Girl to ensure that no girl has to choose between her dignity and her education.
DIPA's Program Director, Diezani Ototo-Onuorah, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to empowering young girls. “We've seen how something as natural as menstruation can derail a girl's destiny. Pad-a-Girl is our way of giving every girl the freedom, knowledge and confidence to perform well and succeed in the classroom and in life,” she said.
School administrators appreciated this effort. Oyewole Abosede, principal of Gbara Community Senior High School, said the initiative had “restored the dignity” of many girls, while Dr. (Mrs.) Patience Yetunde Akingbade, principal of Onike Junior High School, praised DIPA for “restoring confidence and focus” among students from low-income families.
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The outreach included discussions on menstrual hygiene, puberty awareness and self-esteem, along with efforts to dispel myths about menstruation.
The Pad-A-Girl drive is part of DIPA's broader mission to uplift women and girls across Africa. The organization has impacted over 10,000 women and girls in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and South Africa through initiatives focused on education, financial literacy and food security.
DIPA says the Pad-a-Girl drive will continue in Lagos and other African communities to ensure girls remain confident, educated and empowered to pursue their dreams with dignity.
