According to coverage in *Vanguard*, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) alongside national health advocates has called on the Federal Government and state authorities to establish “pad banks” across secondary schools in Nigeria. The initiative aims to combat period poverty, which continues to cause absenteeism among school-aged girls due to the rising costs of sanitary products.
Health advocates noted that economic pressures have made basic menstrual hygiene products unaffordable for millions of households, impacting education and young women’s health. The proposed framework includes public-private partnerships to distribute free hygiene products within educational institutions nationwide.
*Daily Post* corroborated the initiative, stating that “reproductive health stakeholders are pushing for structured legislative frameworks to guarantee free sanitary products in public schools.” Meanwhile, *The Guardian* reported that “civil society organisations have urged state governments to integrate menstrual health into standard school health programmes.”
Echotitbits take:
Addressing period poverty directly impacts educational retention rates among young women. Establishing subsidized or free sanitary distribution networks requires sustainable public funding and local production incentives to offset raw material costs.
Source: Vanguard – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/09/period-poverty-unfpa-demands-pad-banks-in-nigerian-schools-2/, September 4, 2026
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